Giraffe killed at Zoo Atlanta after neck gets caught in railing

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An 8-year-old male giraffe was killed Monday afternoon after he got caught in a metal railing, leading Zoo Atlanta officials to review the enclosure.

Zuberi was in the zoo’s behind-the-scenes giraffe complex when part of his neck became wedged in a very small space about seven-feet high. Teams responded immediately, but the reticulated giraffe died shortly after.

Dr. Jennifer Mickelberg, vice president of collections and conservation, said it’s hard to describe how he managed to get into the deadly position. She called it an “extraordinarily unusual situation.”

“Unfortunately, we may never know (what happened),” Mickelberg said. “It’s not like a railing where a child could put their head through. It surprised us all.”

It is not the first time a giraffe has died unexpectedly at Zoo Atlanta. In 2013, a 7-year-old female named Mona was in an outdoor holding area, off exhibit, when she collapsed. She died from internal bleeding, hemorrhaging that would be consistent with a fall.