A baby giraffe at the Nashville Zoo died “shortly after birth” on Saturday after her mother, named Nasha, accidentally stepped on her, the zoo announced. A necropsy showed trauma to the newborn’s neck, the zoo said in a press release, adding that it will complete further testing to “determine if there were any underlying causes” for her death.
The calf appeared to “bloom” after an initial examination after birth, Dr. Heather Schwartz, the zoo’s director of veterinary medicine, said in the publication.
“We moved the newborn to be with her mother and the two were bonding. During this time, Nasha may have accidentally injured her calf,” Schwartz explained. “The giraffe keepers noticed that the calf was in need. “
The zoo explained that their animal care team intervened but failed to save the calf’s life.
The zoo first posted the news on the birth of the calf and later death on social media. “Thank you for your support over the past few weeks and especially during this difficult time,” the zoo said in an Instagram post announcing the death of the newborn giraffe.
The birth, Nasha’s first, hadn’t gone smoothly before the loss either.
The zoo said her labor did not develop complications quickly and that Nasha “was not progressing well with her delivery.” But veterinary professionals intervened and were eventually able to successfully deliver the baby giraffe.
“We are devastated by the loss of Nasha’s calf,” said Rick Schwartz, the president and CEO of Nashville Zoo. “Our staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that this calf received the best possible care. We moved from fear of a stillborn child to joy of revival to fear.”
The zoo said Nasha is “doing well” in the aftermath, adding that the staff will provide her with “an abundance of comfort and care” for the next few days.
The loss was also shared by many outside the zoo’s walls.
People around the world followed the giraffe’s pregnancy online, and thousands had tuned in to her delivery through a live online feed, the zoo said. A local television station in Nashville installed three cameras to give the public access to Nasha’s pregnancy and birth, the release said.