The Dallas Zoo began ruling out the cause of death of two adult giraffes late last month.
14-year-old Jesse and 19-year-old Auggie both died in the last week of October. The autopsy results showed they sustained liver damage, leading the zoo to believe that the deaths were interrelated and possibly caused by toxins or a contagious zoonosis.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, the zoo said it had ruled out some possible causes of the liver damage, including encephalomyocarditis, a type of disease that can infect captive animals.
The zoo said it also examined the vegetation in the giraffe’s habitat and feeding yard, removed some trees and cut back the pasture and grassy areas. The zoo is still testing the vegetation but said it is “confident that we have eliminated any possible risks that may have arisen from the habitat and are very confident of allowing animals back into these spaces”.
The zoo said it was waiting for additional toxicology results, pathology reports, and laboratory tests on food and vegetation to rule out other causes.
Given Jesse and Auggie’s abnormal liver enzymes, the zoo still believes that exposure to a toxin is a possible link between the deaths, but that they are still looking for bacteria, parasites, or other diseases.
The giraffes and other ungulates will be closely monitored and blood will be drawn regularly to check for signs of illness, the zoo said.
“We are happy to announce that we see no signs of ongoing problems,” said the zoo’s post. “We wish we had more definitive answers to share with you, but we know we are working tirelessly to find out exactly what happened and that we will let you know as soon as we know more.”
The Dallas Zoo killed three giraffes in its herd this year.
A few weeks before Jesse and Auggie died, three-month-old Marekani was euthanized after nurses found almost irreparable fractures in her leg. The zoo added cameras in the giraffe’s habitat and changed the exhibition grounds after her death.
Updates to the habitat were also made after the death of one-year-old Witten in 2019 and the death of three-month-old Kipenzi in 2015.
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