Kansas City Zoo mourns recent deaths of two animals — a giraffe and a gorilla
Two of the Kansas City Zoo’s most recognizable animals have died over the past few days, the zoo announced on Facebook Tuesday.
Dixie, a two-year-old Masai giraffe, died on Saturday and Radi, the patriarch of the zoo’s gorilla troop, died Monday.
“They were well-loved members of the KCZoo family and will be greatly missed,” the zoo said.
Dixie was born at the zoo in February 2018 to her mom Lizzie and “immediately won the hearts of many with her fluffy ossicones,” the horn-like protuberances on the heads of giraffes.
“Later that year, Dixie gain international fame when a GIF of her went viral on social media,” the zoo said.
Her animal care team discovered that she had died unexpectedly while in the giraffe herd’s outdoor habitat in the Africa Plains exhibit. Preliminary results show that her death likely stemmed from an inflammation in her stomach for which she was receiving treatment. Full results from testing won’t be available for six or more weeks.
Meanwhile, Radi was euthanized Monday after he stopped responding to medical treatment for an illness, the zoo said.
The 37-year-old gorilla earlier this spring began to show symptoms of a serious illness that caused him to lose weight. It was determined that he had Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease. After initially showing signs of improvement, his health began to decline.
Radi led a group of three adult females along with his only offspring, five-year-old daughter Masika. He had resided in the West Africa section of the zoo since Africa’s opening in 1995.
“Radi was a kind father and an amazing leader,” his zookeepers said.
The median life expectancy for a male western lowland gorilla is 32.7 years, according to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
