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Honolulu Zoo euthanizes 24-year-old giraffe

COURTESY CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Leola, left, was born in 1994 at the Honolulu Zoo. Squirt, her brother on the right, was also born at the zoo.

The Honolulu Zoo euthanized a 24-year-old female giraffe named Leola Sabuti due to complications from old age, leaving her younger brother, Squirt, the only giraffe in Waikiki.

Zoo Director Linda Santos, veterinarians, curators and staff said the difficult decision was made in the best interest of Sabuti, who was born in 1994 at the facility. They didn’t disclose what the complications were.

“Sabuti was one of three giraffes born and raised at the Honolulu Zoo and lived a long and healthy life as part of the zoo ‘ohana,” Santos said in a news release. “She was under strict daily observation to assess her quality of life, and after taking into account all of the information that we gathered, a unanimous decision was made early Thursday afternoon to put her to rest.”

Giraffes have an average life expectancy of about 20 years in the wild and roughly 25 years in captivity.

In October, Sabuti’s 21-year-old brother, Nairobi, died — also from complications of old age. He was also born and raised at the zoo.

Their younger brother, Squirt, 19, is the last survivor of the family at the Waikiki attraction, which plans to bring in another giraffe.

Meanwhile the zoo is working to get reaccredited after losing accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2016, hindering its ability to both breed and bring in exotic animals.

“The zoo’s been working hard for reaccreditation,” said city spokesman Andrew Pereira.

The City Council passed a measure a year ago to set aside half a percent of property tax revenues, or about $6.5 million annually, for the zoo budget.

“Animal welfare was never an issue with accreditation,” Pereira said. “It was always an issue with funding. We believe we have very good shot at reaccreditation.”

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