The Taipei Zoo announced on Wednesday the recent deaths of its 23-year-old male giraffe Chu Chung (??) from an age-related ailment and giant anteater Koudaisha (???), who died after giving birth.
In a press release, the zoo said that Koudaisha, who had an estimated due date in late November or early December, went into labor on Dec. 6 but was unable to smoothly give birth.
After the anteater began showing signs of exhaustion, its keepers summoned the zoo’s veterinary staff who saw via ultrasound that the anteater pup had a weak heartbeat, and decided to deliver it by Caesarean section.
During the surgery, doctors discovered an old wound on the outer layer of the anteater’s uterus, tissues from which became stuck to its intestine and complicated efforts to extract the pup, according to the statement.
The zoo said the baby anteater was not breathing when it was delivered, and though it was successfully resuscitated, it ultimately died two days later.
Koudaisha, meanwhile, lost a significant amount of blood during the surgery, and upon awakening was weak and refused to eat, the zoo said, adding that she then passed away in the morning of Dec. 12.
In the press release, the zoo also reported that its 23-year-old male giraffe Chu Chung was found lying dead in the indoor part of his enclosure on Tuesday morning.
An autopsy by the zoo’s veterinary team showed the giraffe had died of “old age and organ failure,” the statement said.
The zoo added that while “aging, sickness and death” are a part of nature, its staff were nevertheless saddened to lose the two animals in such quick succession.
Giraffes have an average life expectancy of 20-25 years in captivity and around 10-15 years in the wild.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel