ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The Toronto Zoo has announced that a beloved Masai giraffe born at the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina in 2012 has died after a tragic accident.
Kiko was born in Greenville but was moved to the Toronto Zoo in 2015, where he remained.
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On Jan. 2, it was announced that Kiko, the 13-year-old giraffe, had died after being given access to an additional behind-the-scenes area of his habitat. While exploring the area, Kiko became caught while attempting to open a door.
According to the Toronto Zoo, Masai giraffes have relatively delicate heads supported by a six-foot neck capable of moving forward, backward, up, down, and side to side.
The zoo says that despite their team’s immediate response, Kiko panicked and sustained injuries that proved fatal to his species.
Kiko’s body has been sent to the University of Guelph for a full postmortem investigation being initiated by the zoo’s Health and Safety Services team.
The Toronto Zoo has announced that a beloved Masai giraffe born at the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina in 2012 has died after a tragic accident. (Photo: The Toronto Zoo)
Toronto Zoo says it will release the findings once the investigation has concluded.
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According to the post, Masai giraffes were listed as Endangered in 2018 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature after their population declined nearly 50% over 30 years.
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The Toronto Zoo says that Kiko’s legacy lives on as he contributed to the Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program, by siring two calves, with a third due in early 2026.
