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Giraffes on display in Africa! at The Toledo Zoo. Asha, a 1-year-old, died over the weekend after a fall.
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Replacing zoo’s giraffe to take time

THE BLADE

Replacing zoo’s giraffe to take time

Loss of newly acquired 1-year-old called accident

It will be quite some time before a new giraffe can be transferred to the Toledo Zoo, after the unexpected loss over the weekend of a newly acquired young female.

The 1-year-old named Asha would have grown to be a new breeding mate for the Toledo male, Trevor. She arrived March 27 from the Santa Barbara Zoo at the recommendation of the Species Survival Plan for Masai giraffes, which oversees animal placement and breeding in facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

“Within this population, the SSP coordinator will move the females and males based on where the best genetic matches are” for breeding, said Jeff Sailer, director of the Toledo Zoo.

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Asha fell Saturday in quarantine after she spooked for unknown reasons while walking from one stall to another, as she had done a number of times with no problems since arriving here. She suffered a compound spiral fracture to a rear leg that an equine orthopedic surgeon determined could not be fixed.

“This was an unfortunate, freak accident,” Mr. Sailer said, noting Asha’s fall was not influenced by the flooring or any other aspect of the zoo’s facility. “For whatever reason, she startled and fell. These are often the most frustrating circumstances because there’s nothing you can change.”

Sheri Horiszny is the director of animal care at the Santa Barbara Zoo and the coordinator of the SSP. She said the California zoo, while saddened by Asha’s death, does not blame Toledo staff.

“It is a horrible accident. There’s no hard feelings at all,” she said. “She was very high-strung. Her personality was just very skittish and sensitive.”

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She estimated it would be a year or two before a new female is identified for Toledo, though not because the program has any reservations about sending another giraffe here.

“The biggest challenge is that we have had way more males than females over the last five years,” Ms. Horiszny said. “Losing a female is especially difficult.”

Asha was very valuable genetically, meaning she had few relatives among the 120 Masai giraffes in the program across the county. The placement of individual animals and recommendations for breeding are focused on sustaining a genetically diverse population.

“You’re looking at a family tree and trying to make good genetic matches,” Ms. Horiszny said.

Because of their height and the difficulty in transporting them, adult giraffes are rarely transferred between zoos, Ms. Horiszny said. Giraffes on average have a 14.5-month gestation period, and youngsters are transferred at 1 to 2 years old.

The Toledo Zoo has five giraffes, Trevor and four females, and space for an additional adult. Dr. Randi Meyerson, assistant director of animal programs at the Toledo Zoo, said the zoo had been expecting for more than a year to acquire a young female when Asha arrived.

“They have to be the right match. It can’t be just any female,” she said. “There are a lot fewer of the Masai subspecies of giraffes.”

Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.

First Published April 5, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

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Giraffes on display in Africa! at The Toledo Zoo. Asha, a 1-year-old, died over the weekend after a fall.  (THE BLADE)  Buy Image
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