The Seneca Park Zoo staff in Rochester is mourning the loss of a giraffe calf that was born in early December.
On Tuesday, zoo officials said Parker Junior — or PJ, as he was nicknamed after his father — died Saturday.
Officials said that PJ died after what appeared to be a seizure. Veterinarians from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine performed a necropsy, which showed that the calf died from encephalitis, an infection of the tissues around the brain. The infection was also affecting other parts of the calf’s body.
“PJ was with us for too short a time, and we are heartbroken,” said David Hamilton, general curator at the zoo.
Zoo veterinarian Dr. Chris McKinney said that animals do mourn the loss of close relatives, and he said the calf's mother, Kipenzi, has been pacing a lot and eating less since PJ’s death.
But he told reporters on Tuesday that the situation is improving.
“We’re keeping a very close eye on her, the staff are doing what they can to distract her and interact with her as much as possible since she is distressed by that,” McKinney said. “And we see each day she gets a little calmer, she has been eating well still, so that first day, she ate a little less when she was most affected.”
Seneca Park Zoo Superintendent Steve Lacy said the staff at the zoo will reassess how they carry out various tasks, but in general, he said the program for the giraffes is solid.
“We have confidence in our program, we know that our program does provide our animals with amazing care,” Lacy said, “and we are going to continue forward with our program, knowing that we can provide excellent care for these animals.”
Lacy said that giraffes are fragile animals, and in the wild, newly born giraffes have about a 50% mortality rate. He said that in zoos, that rate is a bit less than that.
PJ's death comes after some unrelated situations involving other giraffes, including the death of his father, Parker, who died in February 2023 after getting caught in a support structure. And PJ’s mother, Kipenzi, has been treated for cancer in her jaw since last summer.
Last December, the Seneca Park Zoo saw a second giraffe birth. A female, named Pippi, was born to Iggy. Pippi and PJ share the same father.
Zoo officials said on Tuesday that Pippi is doing well and growing fast, and they hope to introduce her to the public in the coming weeks.
