Jengo the giraffe at Ramat Gan Safari dies due to medical complications
Two-year-old giraffe did not recover after undergoing surgery to correct a congenital defect in his penis.
By SHARON UDASINJengo the giraffe(photo credit: RAMAT GAN SAFARI)
Jengo the giraffe, who arrived to the Ramat Gan Safari in 2014 at age 18 months, died this weekend due to medical complications, a safari spokeswoman announced Sunday.Surrounded by globally renowned male fertility experts, the two-year-old giraffe underwent surgery to correct a congenital defect in his penis on Thursday, the spokeswoman said. Although the surgery appeared to have gone well and Jengo recovered from his anesthesia with no noticeable challenges, he collapsed approximately 24 hours after the surgery. Despite numerous attempts to treat and revive him, Jengo ultimately died, according to the spokeswoman.Jengo first arrived at the Ramat Gan Safari on May 22, 2014 from a zoo in Frankfurt, Germany. The toddler giraffe traveled in a special transfer box on an El Al cargo plane from Liege Airport in Belgium, accompanied by specially hired cargo transportation staff. As soon as he entered the safari, Jengo was very well received by the other giraffes there, who immediately took to licking and stroking him in excitement, the safari staff said at the time.“Jengo’s death is very painful for us,” the safari spokeswoman said in a statement. “The search for a giraffe suitable for mating with the females at the safari zoo took many months and when he arrived from the Frankfurt Zoo the staff was very excited about finding a genetically suitable mate, who would take over as the leader of the reticulated giraffe group.”During his time spent at the Ramat Gan Safari, Jengo was loved by both the staff members and the other giraffes, the spokeswoman added. “His death has deeply saddened the workers at the safari zoo.”
