Giraffe's death at B.C. zoo under investigation

Officials at a Vancouver-area zoo are investigating the cause of death of a three-year-old giraffe found on the ground inside his barn.

The Rothschild giraffe, named Amryn, was found at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on Monday morning.

Amryn, born in December 2007, was treated aggressively but died shortly after, said zoo spokeswoman Jody Henderson.

"We had the vet there and we called in the pathologist who specializes in exotic animals," said Henderson. "A post-mortem was done, and we are still waiting for the complete results."

The zoo is located in the community of Aldergrove, about 50 kilometres east of Vancouver.

Amryn’s mother and father still live at the zoo.

The Greater Vancouver Zoo has had problems with some of its animals in the past.

In June 2006, a baby female giraffe born at the zoo died after eight days.

A 4,100-kilogram elephant, Tina, developed health problems in August 2003 while being housed at the zoo. She was transferred to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee for better treatment but died in July 2004.

The same year, two hippopotamuses, Gertrude and Harvey, at the Greater Vancouver Zoo died at age 20 — half their life expectancy.