Etana the Lincoln Park Zoo giraffe dies at 24
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A giraffe named Etana has died at Lincoln Park Zoo.
The zoo reported Friday that Etana was 24 years old – an elderly age for a giraffe. The median life expectancy for female giraffes is 20.2 years, the zoo noted.
Since 2017, Etana has been monitored closely by Animal Care and Veterinary staff at the zoo due to age-related problems – including issues with her joints and gait. But unrelated to those concerns, Etana's health reached a crisis point and she died quickly overnight.
"Etana was a very special animal to us here at the zoo and to many zoo visitors and volunteers," Lincoln Park Zoo Curator of Mammals and Behavioral Husbandry Mike Murray said in a news release. "Lincoln Park Zoo has been honored to care for Etana for the last 20 years and we will remember her love for chewing browse, participating in training sessions with her dedicated keepers, and being the leader of the giraffe herd here."
Etana came to the Lincoln Park Zoo from another zoo in 2003. She has been a herd mate to many other giraffes – including current residents Finely, 6, a male; and Rae, 5, a female.
Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals – with males standing 17 feet tall and females 14 feet tall on average. They live in groups of two to 10 individuals.
Giraffes are considered vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.