17 Sep 2013

Grand old lady giraffe dies at Orana

6:51 pm on 17 September 2013

Workers at Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park are mourning the loss of one the zoo's oldest giraffes.

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Photo: RNZ

Nathalie, a 25-year-old giraffe, was only the second ever to be born at the park and gave birth to six calves herself.

Exotic mammals head keeper Rob Clifford said Nathalie was a grand old lady and one of the nicest giraffes he had worked with. Thousands of visitors had had the chance to hand feed Nathalie over the years, he said.

A post mortem was carried out this afternoon and staff were waiting on pathology results to confirm the cause of death.

The death takes Orana's giraffe herd to four animals.