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NECROPSY REVEALS CAUSE OF DEATH OF NC ZOO GIRAFFE
BY: Tom GillespieAug. 15, 2008
ASHEBORO, N.C.—A necropsy (animal autopsy) performed Thursday night at the North Carolina Zoo revealed the cause of death of the 14-year-old male giraffe that died there Thursday afternoon while undergoing surgery.
The necropsy revealed that the giraffe died of metabolic complications caused by an obstructed urethra. Emergency surgery had been performed earlier Thursday in an attempt to relieve the obstruction.
The giraffe, Azog, was born at the N.C. Zoo in July 1994 and was one of two adult giraffes in the zoo’s collection. Keepers noticed it was having urinary problems Thursday morning and called in zoo veterinarians, who suspected urinary obstruction.
According to zoo Chief Veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis, the blockage would have eventually caused a ruptured bladder, leading to the giraffe’s death. So the decision was made to immediately relieve the obstruction.
The procedure began at about noon Thursday, but after more than two hours of surgery, veterinarians were unable to reach the blockage. On necropsy, it was discovered that thousands of small stones filled more than half of the urethra, making it virtually impossible to relieve the obstruction. Azog died under anesthesia at about 2:30 p.m. while veterinarians were attempting to perform a surgery to allow urine to exit in the perineal area.
According to Loomis, this surgery is complicated in giraffes due to the anatomy of the urinary tract.
“We knew there were risks because this is a species that is extremely susceptible to problems under anesthesia,” Loomis said. “It was a calculated risk that we had to take.”
The zoo is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor.