Baby Giraffe Dies Shortly After Delivery at Nashville Zoo

After thousands of people watched a baby giraffe being born through the Nashville Zoo website, the baby giraffe died shortly after.  Nasha, the mother, had her pregnancy followed by the world online with three cameras installed by WKRN News 2. During their newscasts, they gave frequent updates to the viewers on Nasha’s pregnancy and they encouraged everyone to watch the “Baby Giraffe Cam” through their website. The Nashville Zoo also included live cameras on their “Baby Boom” webpage.

Many are mourning the loss of the newborn giraffe. In a social media post, the zoo said the calf died shortly after its birth after being stepped on by her mother, Nasha.

Nasha experienced complications shortly after she went into labor so a medical team was required.  Dr. Matthew DeLisle from Tennessee Equine Hospital, and the zoo’s veterinary team, the baby giraffe was delivered.  This was the first time Nasha gave birth.

The calf appeared to be doing well on the initial exam, according to Dr. Heather Schwartz, Nashville Zoo’s Director of Veterinary Medicine. They moved the newborn to be with her mother and the two were bonding. The zoo staff believes it was during that time that Nasha may have accidentally injured her calf as the giraffe keepers noticed the calf was in distress. The care team was unsuccessful in saving the baby giraffe’s life. An initial necropsy shows trauma to the calf’s neck, but they are doing further testing to see if there were any underlying conditions that may have caused the death.

We are devastated over the loss of Nasha’s calf. Our staff has worked tirelessly to make sure this calf was given the best possible care. We moved from fear of a stillborn to joy of revival to anguish.  - Rick Schwartz, Nashville Zoo’s President, and CEO

The website says Nasha is doing well and the giraffe keepers will be giving her an abundance of comfort and care for the next few days. So sad.