Visitors’ ‘generosity’ kills giraffe
Jambar dies after ingesting nylon bags, mourning mate stops eating altogether
A giraffe at the Kiryat Motzkin zoo died on Saturday after being fed by visitors.
The zoo veterinarian said that Jambar, a nine-year-old giraffe, died after suffering from severe intestinal blockage caused by plastic nylon bags he had consumed after being fed the contents by visitors to the zoo, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday.
As at most zoos, visitors to the Kiryat Motzkin zoo are not permitted to feed the animals, except in certain supervised conditions such as in the petting zoo.
On Sunday, MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima) announced that in light of the incident he would introduce a bill that, if passed by the Knesset, would fine zoo-goers up to 5,000 NIS for feeding animals.
Jambar is survived by Olga, aged five, a female giraffe. According to the zoo director, after realizing that her mate was dead, Olga refused to eat and would not respond to her trainers.
In the wild, giraffes can live up to 25 years.
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