A tragic accident, an anomaly, occurred on June 29th, at the Peoria Zoo as one of the Zoos two male giraffes was fatally injured. The giraffe, Savannah, was feeding on leaves from trees in a nearby enclosure when his head became caught in the forks between two trunks of the tree. The animal panicked and flipped himself over. Zoo staff members began emergency procedures to free the animal. The giraffe was rescued however lifesaving measures were unsuccessful. It is undetermined as to what the cause of death is, however a necropsy exam will be completed. The Africa! exhibit was immediately closed during the emergency response.
Savannah and Taji came to the Peoria Zoo in November 2008 as part of the Africa! exhibit. Savannah was sponsored by Jim Baldwin, retired vice president of Caterpillar, Inc.
