Sydney Zoo tragedy: Beloved giraffe Nzuri and her unborn calf die during labour

A female giraffe and her unborn calf have died during a traumatic labour at Sydney Zoo.

Nzuri, one of three giraffes featured in the zoo’s paid feeding encounters, went into active labour on Thursday night. But within hours, it became clear something was wrong.

Zoo staff were quick to act, calling for reinforcements, mobilising three veterinarians and two nurses from across Sydney. Nzuri was anaesthetised so a full veterinary assessment could be performed.

Upon having a closer look, what the team found was grim; with the calf’s front legs emerged, but its head and neck were misaligned. The calf could not be saved, and with Nuzuri in escalating pain and distress, the decision was made to euthanise her.

“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,” a Sydney Zoo spokesperson said.

“Faced with no viable options to save her, the very difficult decision was made to humanely euthanise Nzuri to prevent her from further suffering.”

“This is an incredibly heartbreaking outcome for all involved,” added Tim Bennett, exotic animal care manager.

“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.”

Nzuri had only arrived at the zoo in November 2024 from Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium and had quickly bonded with Eyeleen, a giraffe of the same age The Sydney Morning Herald shared. Visitors could feed the pair as part of a $59.99 giraffe encounter.

Her death marks at least the fourth sudden animal fatality at Sydney Zoo in recent years.

In 2020, a young female giraffe named Gigi died just weeks after being transferred from Australia Zoo. A university of Sydney post-mortem later revealed acute enteritis, a common gut issue in giraffes, was to blame. However, staff had believed she was settling in well.

The following year, 10-year-old chimpanzee Mogli drowned in a moat after breaching a safety barrier. The zoo was forced to close for the day as staff removed the chimp’s body. The incident was deemed a misadventure, and the zoo subsequently added more “naturalistic materials” to the habitat to prevent future breaches.

And in May this year, two bull sharks died in the zoo’s aquarium. The cause was “trauma consistent with accidental impact,” the zoo said.

Nzuri’s passing, like those before her, has left staff reeling.

“She was a kind, gentle soul,” one staffer said privately.

“We’re gutted.”