Normally, when kids and adults are going to the Zoo it’s probably going to be the elephant or the monkey that is going to steal the spotlight. But this thing wasn’t happening back then at the Living Desert Zoo from Palm Desert. The reason why would be Pona the giraffe that was incredibly kind and just watching him eating leaves immediately relaxed your muscles. But the sudden giraffe’s death shook not only the employees from the zoo, but the regular visitors who came only to see the incredible giraffe.
Pona was a 16 year old male giraffe and it was in the center of attention almost every time. The giraffe was born on 22nd September, in 2000 at the San Diego Wild Animal Park but he spent only two years there because the giraffe was soon moved to the Living Desert Zoo from Palm Desert.
The fact that Pona died overnight without showing any signs of illness or strange symptoms shook the entire family from the Zoo. They simply didn’t know what to say to the authorities. It is the reason why they are waiting for the necropsy results which should be brought in the following months to their attention.
Allen Monroe, CEO and Living Desert President claimed that the employees who were taking care of the animal didn’t see any concerning signs, so it must have been an internal or genetic issue. The director of the Zoo also claimed that the first animal at the Zoo that the CEO met was Pona, the 18 feet tall giraffe. This is why it is even more difficult to cope with its rather odd death.
But the CEO isn’t the only one mourning the giraffe, the employees and RoxAnna Breitigan, the director of the zoo’s animal program, explained that the animal was very loved and that it will be very missed.
