PROVIDENCE – Roger Williams Park Zoo has lost a towering figure in both size and significance.
The zoo in a Facebook post on Thursday announced the death of its 28-year-old Masai giraffe, Sukari, who was euthanized due to declining health conditions, including arthritis.
Sukari, who would have been 29 in February, was a major presence at the zoo, standing 15.5 feet tall and weighing in at just under 1,700 pounds. She spent her entire adult life in Rhode Island since coming from the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens in 1993, said Amy Roberts, the zoo’s director of animal programs. Together with the two other giraffes in the zoo’s herd, Sukari was also among the top attractions among visitors, what Roberts referred to as a “charismatic megafauna.”
“We think all our animals are very special, but the the lions, the tigers, the bears, the giraffes, that’s what really drives people to the zoo,” Roberts said.
One of the oldest Masai giraffes in human care in North America according to the zoo, Sukari’s sweet disposition made her a favorite among staff and volunteers, Roberts said.
Arthritis and declining health in general are not uncommon for giraffes of advanced age, a problem zoos and their veterinary caretakers are increasingly grappling with among a new set of geriatric animals, Roberts said.
“We’re caring for our animals so well they are living to be much older than before,” she said.
The zoo is already on the hunt for a new giraffe to replenish its herd, though an animal has not been identified and will not be transferred until spring at the earliest, Roberts said.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
