A 15-year-old reticulated giraffe at the Dallas Zoo was euthanized Sunday following surgery to repair an injured jaw, according to the zoo's post on X.
The zoo said the giraffe, Ferrell, was injured following "an unexpected fall in the barn." Ferrell injured his jaw in the fall and after a consultation with veterinarians, the zoo decided to attempt to repair the injury with surgery.
During the procedure, it was learned Ferrell had dislocated his jaw so severely that it could not be repaired. In their statement, the zoo said jaw dislocations in animals can be difficult to treat and that the giraffe's size and anatomy hindered any type of reasonable repair.
"Due to this injury, he faced limited use of his jaw and tongue, making it nearly impossible for him to eat," the zoo said. "Given this prognosis and the impact on Ferrell’s quality of life, the team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Ferrell on Sunday, Dec. 31."
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The zoo said the sudden loss of Ferrell has left them "completely heartbroken."
"We kindly ask that you keep our staff in your thoughts as we navigate through this challenging time," the zoo said.
Before Ferrell's death, the Dallas Zoo said they were home to a herd of six adult reticulated giraffes. The zoo's five remaining adult giraffes are Tebogo, Katie, Chrystal, Five, and Kendi.
In March, Chrystal gave birth to a 131-pound baby girl named Kora. At the time the zoo said the baby's dad Tebogo and half-sister Nea watched the calf from a distance right after she was born.
With the loss of Ferrell, the Dallas Zoo has now lost six giraffes in the last decade including Jesse, Auggie, and Marekani in October 2021, Witten in June 2019, and Kipenzi in July 2015.
