A female giraffe and her unborn calf have died during labour at Sydney Zoo.
On Thursday night, Nzuri went into active labour at the zoo in Bungarribee in Sydney’s western suburbs, with animal care staff quickly observing that something was wrong.
Nzuri died during labour at Sydney Zoo on Thursday.Credit: Sydney Zoo
Three veterinarians and two nurses from institutions across Sydney were mobilised to assist in the complex labour, and Nzuri was anaesthetised for a complete assessment, the zoo said.
The team found the calf was positioned with its front two legs emerging, and its head and neck were out of position. With the calf deceased and its mother in considerable pain, zoo staff decided to euthanise Nzuri.
There have been several instances of sudden and unexpected animal deaths at Sydney Zoo since it opened in 2019, including another giraffe, a chimpanzee and two bull sharks.
Sydney’s second zoo made global headlines when pop star Taylor Swift visited twice in two days in 2024 during the Sydney leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce during her second visit to Sydney Zoo. Credit: Nine News
In a statement announcing Nzuri’s death, a Sydney Zoo spokesperson said the calf’s position made “safe delivery impossible”.
“Despite the team’s best efforts, it became evident that the calf had died, and due to the stress and difficulty of the birth, Nzuri’s condition had severely deteriorated,” the statement read.
“Faced with no viable options to save her, the very difficult decision was made to humanely euthanise Nzuri to prevent her from further suffering.”
Staff members at Sydney Zoo, especially those involved in Nzuri’s daily care, have been deeply affected by her death.
“This is an incredibly heartbreaking outcome for all involved,” said exotic animal care manager Tim Bennett.
“Our animal care team did everything possible to try and save both the calf and the mother, Nzuri. Decisions like this are never made lightly. The animal’s welfare is always our primary concern.”
The Sydney Zoo website lists three giraffes, including Nzuri, as part of its giraffe encounter experience, where guests can feed the gentle giants for $59.99 a person.
Gigi died suddenly in 2020, only weeks after arriving at Sydney Zoo.Credit: Sydney Zoo
Giraffes socialise in small same-sex groups or pairs, and Nzuri’s companion was a giraffe of the same age named Eyelean.
When Nzuri first arrived from Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium in November 2024, the pair immediately bonded.
It’s not the first time a giraffe has died at Sydney Zoo. In 2020, three-year-old giraffe Gigi suddenly died just weeks after she was transferred from Australia Zoo in Queensland to western Sydney.
A post-mortem examination completed by the University of Sydney revealed she died of acute enteritis, a gut issue common in young giraffes.
The death came as a shock to staff, given Gigi had shown no signs of illness and was reported to be settling in well to her new home, the zoo said at the time.
In another incident a year later, a 10-year-old chimpanzee named Mogli drowned in a moat surrounding its enclosure on the morning of April 9, 2021.
The zoo had to be closed as staff were seen removing Mogli’s body from the water.
Mogli drowned in an incident at Sydney Zoo in 2021.Credit: Sydney Zoo
An investigation ruled the death was misadventure, with CCTV revealing Mogli breached a safety barrier and entered the water.
A statement from the zoo said the barrier had been operational for more than two years without incident, but that in response to Mogli’s death, further “naturalistic materials” had been added to the habitat to prevent the chimps from entering the water.
In May this year, two bull sharks died in Sydney Zoo’s aquarium.
The zoo said that “trauma consistent with accidental impact” was the cause of death.
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