DES MOINES (AP) — Officials at Des Moines’ Blank Park Zoo say the attraction’s youngest giraffe, Lizzy, has died, just weeks before what would’ve been her second birthday.
The Des Moines Register reports that the zoo made the announcement Thursday; Lizzy died Tuesday. Officials say initial results from a necropsy showed the giraffe had "internal abnormalities" and had also recently suffered from a minor gastrointestinal illness that may have contributed to her death.
Lizzy was born at the zoo on Dec. 6, 2016, to Uzuri. Uruzi’s pregnancy was unexpected because she was older, at 19, and was thought to be unable to conceive.
Blank Park Zoo spokesman Ryan Bickel says the zoo now has five giraffes: one male and four females.