Giraffe Dies at North Carolina Zoo
Incident Date:
07/19/2025
Location:
Asheboro, NC - USA
Facility Name:
North Carolina Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Other
Animal:
Giraffe
Animal disposition:
Dead
Summary:
ASHEBORO, NC – The North Carolina Zoo announced on Thursday that Leia the giraffe died this week. On Tuesday morning, Leia underwent a planned medical procedure for a hoof injury.
She was expected to make a full recovery but experienced a complication known as acute aspiration after the procedure. Aspiration can sometimes happen with the use of anesthesia in both people and animals. It is widely considered the number one complication with giraffe surgical procedures.
An animal autopsy was performed, and results confirmed aspiration as the official cause of Leia’s death. She was 15 years old
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