Castration of giraffe at Toronto Zoo goes wrong, animal dies under anaesthesia

Toronto, Canada

In an incident of medical failure, the officials at the Toronto Zoo killed one of the giraffes while carrying out its castration on Thursday morning (July 25). 

The staff at the Toronto Zoo announced the death of the animal and said they were heartbroken and “devastated” by the death of the two-year-old Matu, a Masai giraffe, who died while being under general anaesthesia for getting castrated.

“This is a very difficult announcement to make as our team is devastated and hurting. Our team did an incredible job carefully planning for this procedure for months,” said the zoo, in a statement. 

“While under general anaesthesia during a castration procedure this morning he stopped breathing and passed away,” the zoo authorities further said. 

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“As we shared yesterday, with any procedure under general anaesthesia we knew there would be risks, especially with large vertebrates. Our entire Toronto Zoo team is in mourning and we know this will be difficult news to process for our broader Zoo community,” it added.

They also said that grief counselling will be provided to the staff and an autopsy will be carried out on the animal to determine the cause of death.

Why was castration carried out on the giraffe?

The Toronto Zoo said that it was important to carry out castration on the Masai giraffe, who was named Matu, because it was entering its sexual maturity “and starting to get frisky with his mom.”

The zookeepers wanted to keep the giraffe with his mother and sisters and not isolate him and hence, took the decision to castrate him.

Because of a foot injury from the fall, they found it impossible to shift the giraffe to another facility.

“As we continue to learn about the importance of the individual animal’s experiences, physical health, behavioural health, and overall environment, we want to ensure that animals residing in our care are given every opportunity to thrive,” the press release stated.

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“In Matu’s case, it was decided the best thing for his wellbeing was to remain in his family group, alongside his mother and sister rather than being isolated, which led to the decision to perform this procedure," it added.

The team had collected the giraffe's living genetic material which will be kept in the facility’s biobank.

“While Matu is no longer with us, his contribution to the survival of his species can live on for future generations of Masai giraffes in managed populations,” the officials said.

(With inputs from agencies)