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DALLAS - The Dallas Zoo says one of its giraffes had to be euthanized following an unexpected fall.
The giraffe, a 15-year-old named Ferrell, fell in the barn on Friday, Dec. 29 and dislocated its jaw.
Ferrell the giraffe (Source: Dallas Zoo)
The zoo says that animal care, veterinary teams and a surgical consultant found the jaw injury could not be repaired by surgery.
Ferrell had previously injured his jaw 13 years ago, resulting in issues with his tongue. The giraffe was unable to keep his tongue in his mouth before the new injury.
"The nature of this [new] injury meant that Ferrell would face limitations in the use of his jaw and tongue, likely requiring a partial or full amputation of his tongue in the future," said the zoo in a post online.
The zoo said that the new injury made it "nearly impossible" for Ferrell to eat.
"Given this prognosis, and the impact on Ferrell’s quality of life, the team made the incredibly difficult decision to humanely euthanize Ferrell on Sunday, December 31," the zoo posted.
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The Dallas Zoo says they are "heartbroken" over the loss and that Ferrell will be dearly missed by all who knew him.