An unexpected fall caused a tragic ending for a 15-year-old giraffe at the Dallas Zoo. The giraffe, named Ferrell, couldn’t recover from his injuries.
The Dallas Zoo shared the sad news on Facebook. They explained that Ferrell got hurt in the barn on Friday, December 29. The zoo’s animal care and vet teams checked him right away. They found out that his jaw was injured badly and needed surgery.
During the surgery, they discovered that Ferrell’s jaw was dislocated in a way that couldn’t be fixed. The zoo said that fixing such an injury in a giraffe is very hard. It meant Ferrell might not be able to use his jaw and tongue well, and he might even need his tongue partially or fully removed in the future.
The giraffe, named Ferrell, couldn’t recover from his injuries thus, had to be euthanized
Because of this tough situation and how it would affect Ferrell’s life, the zoo had to make the hard choice to put him to sleep on New Year’s Eve.
Sadly, this wasn’t Ferrell’s first jaw injury. Over 13 years ago, he had another one that caused trouble with his tongue. Even though he could still use it, he couldn’t keep it in his mouth properly.
The new injury made things worse. It would’ve made it really hard for Ferrell to eat. The zoo said they’re deeply saddened by Ferrell’s sudden loss. They asked everyone to keep their staff in their thoughts as they deal with this sad time. Ferrell will be missed by everyone who knew him.
