A female giraffe from the San Diego Zoo prematurely delivered a dead calf while being transported to the Calgary Zoo in Canada, Calgary Zoo officials said.
Marci, a five-year-old Masai giraffe, was seen breeding with a male giraffe a couple of months ago, but zoo officials were not sure if she was pregnant or how far along she might be.
“Although she did not show any signs of pregnancy, San Diego Zoo Global officials advised the animal care staff at the Calgary Zoo of the possibility,” the Calgary Zoo said in a statement.
While it is the policy of both the San Diego Zoo and Calgary Zoo to not move giraffes in their third trimester, it is often difficult to tell how far along a giraffe is in her pregnancy.
The San Diego Zoo believed Marci was likely in her second trimester, which is typically a safe time to travel, according to Jamie Dorgan, Director of Animal Care at the Calgary Zoo.
A necropsy on the stillborn fetus revealed that she was in her third trimester.
"If we had more information, more precise information, and thought she was nearing her pregnancy, we would've held off on the shipment, and I'm quite comfortable the SD Zoo would've as well,” Dorgan said.
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Marci was under constant observation during the entire trip through closed circuit cameras, and the team took action as soon as she delivered," according to the Calgary Zoo.
Giraffe populations are rapidly declining due to poaching and habitat loss; Marci was being sent to the Calgary Zoo to help boost the future of the Masai giraffe species.
The San Diego Zoo is not commenting on what happened, simply saying that they did not have a veterinarian during the transport.
Marci is healthy and settling in well in Canada, zoo officials said.
Currently the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has six males and three female Masai giraffes.
The San Diego Zoo has four males and four female giraffes.
