8-year-old giraffe dies at Greater Vancouver Zoo

Staff at the Greater Vancouver Zoo are mourning the death of eight-year-old giraffe Jenga, who was found dead in his barn on Wednesday.

The zoo said in a statement that the eight-year-old male was found "peacefully resting in his barn stall" moments after having a meal on Wednesday but did not provide further details.

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation said the animals can live up to about 25 years in the wild and potentially longer in captivity. This means Jenga lived about a third of his life expectancy.

The death has spurred some advocates to question the ethics behind keeping exotic animals in zoos. 

CBC News has contacted the zoo, which is located in Aldergrove, B.C., but has yet to hear back.

"Jenga has left us far too soon," Menita Prasad, the director of animal care at the zoo, said in a statement.

She said Jenga was known for a "bold" and "curious" personality and eagerness to interact with staff and surroundings.

"His presence brought joy to our staff and visitors alike, and his loss is being deeply felt across our zoo community."

Prasad said the zoo is still awaiting the results of a necropsy while other giraffes at the zoo "continue to display normal, healthy behaviour."

The B.C. SPCA told CBC News in a statement that it "will likely conduct an investigation into this sad loss," but would not comment before any investigation was complete.

Several young giraffes

The zoo has lost young giraffes in the past. 

Two died in November 2011, one of whom was three years old, and another in November 2012 that was 12. In June 2006, a baby female giraffe born at the zoo died after eight days.

Other notable deaths of large animals at the zoo include a 4,100-kilogram elephant, Tina, who 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, died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo at the age of 20 — about half their life expectancy.

Accredited institution

Prasad said in the statement that the Greater Vancouver Zoo was recently inspected and received accreditation renewal from Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), and will continue its mission "to safeguard the future" of giraffes.

CAZA is a private charity that, according to its website, represents the country's leading zoos and aquariums. Accredited institutions must be "guided by the highest standards of safety and animal care, as well as by clear education strategies and goals," according to the website.

The zoo says Jenga was born in 2016 at the Africa Lion Safari in Ontario and brought to British Columbia in 2018.

"His loss is profound, but it strengthens our resolve to continue advocating for the protection of giraffes in the wild," the zoo said.

The animal belonged to a subspecies native to South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda that had only 1,671 left in the wild as of 2018 because of habitat encroachment and poaching.

The Greater Vancouver Zoo lists two other giraffes at the facility: Jagar, a six-year-old male and Milo, a four-year-old male.

Advocate questions zoos

Emily Pickett, campaign director with the Vancouver Human Society, told The Early Edition on Friday that the death underscores long-term concerns the society has around the welfare of animals at the zoo. 

"Giraffes are very sensitive animals that we know do not fare well in captivity," she said, adding that Jenga did not have a large herd and was enclosed in a small range at the zoo. 

"[Jenga] lived with only a couple of other giraffes, in a pretty small and barren enclosure, with little to no opportunity to engage in many of his natural behaviours, and certainly in a very different climate than his wild counterparts," she said. 

Pickett is calling on the zoo to stop keeping exotic animals and instead operate like an animal sanctuary by rescuing, caring for and releasing species native to B.C.