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Second Giraffe Dies in Five Days at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Incident Date:
03/13/2026
Location:
Colorado Springs, CO - USA
Facility Name:
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Other
Animal:
Giraffe
Animal disposition:
Dead

Summary:

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – The oldest giraffe at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo) has died just five days after the passing of another giraffe at the zoo.

On Sunday, March 8, male giraffe Mashama passed away at 16 years old. CMZoo stated that Mashama had been having good days and bad days, but there were far more good than bad. Despite consistent care and monitoring and weekly diagnostics, no patterns or causes for his “off” days were found, and he passed away somewhat unexpectedly at around 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Just five days later, on Friday, March 13, female reticulated giraffe Muziki passed away at the age of 27–the oldest giraffe in the CMZoo herd and fifth oldest in human care in the country. According to the zoo, Muziki’s health had deteriorated quickly due to age-related issues, including bone density loss in her jaw. On Friday, her care team made the decision to euthanize her.

Action take by Born Free USA:

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