Last giraffe at Lahore zoo dies of heart attack
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LAHORE: The last remaining giraffe at Lahore Zoo died of a heart attack on Monday, said Director Muhammad Shafqat.
“All three giraffes which had been imported in 2007 have died. We are awaiting the postmortem report,” he said.
Zoo Deputy Director Mudassar Hasan told this reporter that the 14-year-old giraffe was seen moving in its yard by 3am and it was found dead by 5:30am.
Lahore Zoo seems to be an unfortunate place for giraffes. After every two or three years a giraffe dies owing to one reason or the other. Some seven or eight years ago, a giraffe died at the zoo after swallowing a plastic bag and another was killed by a zebra. A female giraffe got her neck crooked and finally died. Now the zoo does not have giraffe, a popular animal among children.
In 2007, giraffes were imported after a gap of some 13 years. Since 1996, the zoo administration had tried for almost 10 times to procure these animals, but due to certain reasons it could not succeed.
Giraffes belong to mammalian group and their subspecies are found throughout the African continent. They are about 15 to 19 feet high and 550kg to 1,800kg in weight. The variation in size and weight is due to availability of space and food.
A giraffe eats around 75kg leaves in a day. The animal lives up to 26 years in jungle and 32 to 40 years in captivity. They give birth to a single cub after 465 days.
Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2015
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Comments (35) Closed
Apr 14, 2015 08:43am
Please investigate.
The Zoo officials sell the animal food
Or starve it to death.
No one heard of Girraffe heart attack.
They are so humble creatures.
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Apr 14, 2015 08:44am
Sad to hear.
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Apr 14, 2015 11:31am
All zoos in Pakistan should be banned. We are not capable of taking care of these animals and therefore should not be made to suffer like this.
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Apr 14, 2015 12:20pm
Whatever happen wrong in the country, it is always in Punjab, because the government of Punjab is not bothered to do any good for the province.
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Apr 14, 2015 12:30pm
The management should have done something when the first one died. Nothing just left them over there to die. If it's because of a human error than it should be investigated because taking care of these pets is a state responsibility!
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Apr 14, 2015 12:38pm
good, let all animal die then turn Zoo into a commercial area belonging to some big influential guy.
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Apr 14, 2015 12:48pm
When the zoo budget is eaten,then this is not surprising
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Apr 14, 2015 01:02pm
what is wrong with all of you? Punjab is much more better than other 3 provinces. There could be negligence of Zoo officials but you can not ignore the natural causes. As a nation we dont have patience. No doubt that there are precedents which compel us to think like that but we should not react like that. Try to think rationally rather than just making a comment.
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Apr 14, 2015 01:12pm
Atleast the poor animals don't have to suffer budget cuts now! Even the Hockey team has no funding. This is what happens when money is diverted to pointless uses
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Apr 14, 2015 01:17pm
RIP
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Apr 14, 2015 01:23pm
Giraffe's are total vegetarian, how come they can get heart attack? Something unusual must have been fed, which lead to death.
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Apr 14, 2015 01:44pm
Have some mercy on poor animals at least!
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Apr 14, 2015 01:52pm
@Sunil, Are you saying that Hindu or other vegetarians don't die of heart attack? Be sensible
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Apr 14, 2015 01:57pm
One of the giraffe's was killed by a Zebra? Wow. I'd like to know how but never-mind that question.
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Apr 14, 2015 01:59pm
@Pakistani you must be vegetarian ??
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Apr 14, 2015 05:05pm
This is the first time I heard of heart attack for a animal...
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Apr 14, 2015 05:24pm
@Arshad I agree with you, in Pakistan anything is possible. Perhaps this is already served to people who pay the prize of a life in some money.
Be vegetarian and save animals. If not, humans will be eliminated from this earth soon.
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Apr 14, 2015 05:52pm
The giraffe is unique as its head is 2500-3000 millimeters above its heart, thus the giraffe's heart must pump hard enough to overcome the huge hydrostatic pressure generated by the tall column of blood in its neck in order to provide its head with sufficient nutrients and oxygen. Giraffes therefore have exceptionally high blood pressure (hypertension) by human standards. Interestingly, the "unnaturally" high blood pressure in giraffes does not culminate in severe vascular lesions, nor does it lead to heart and kidney failure, whereas in humans, the same blood pressure is exceedingly dangerous and will cause severe vascular damage. Intrinsically, natural selection likely has provided an important protective mechanism, because hypertension develops as soon as the giraffe stands up and erects its neck immediately after birth.
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Apr 14, 2015 06:21pm
Director sahab saying they are waiting for the postmortem report to come. How come they saying Giraffe died of heart attack :)
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Apr 14, 2015 06:44pm
Something really sinister here. Giraffes just dont die....unless of old age. This is a serious example on how incompetent the zoo keepers are...and zoo administrators who are pocketing money for themselves and feeding the Giraffes with food that is sub standard and of its diet limits too.
Incidentally there is not a single lion or Tiger in any of the Pakistani zoo's. All the snow leopards are also being hunted down. Another example of when you get corrupt governments in office how the filth filters through the whole system.
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Apr 14, 2015 08:53pm
Giraffe should have been brought for check up to AFIC. They are good for this kind of medicine.
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Apr 14, 2015 08:56pm
@Arshad .....animals do die of heart attack including diabetes and cancer.The thing is that such matters in third world countries are overlooked and not investigated.So this could be a death related to negligence.
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Apr 14, 2015 09:05pm
RIP. One of peace loving soul
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Apr 14, 2015 10:26pm
"a giraffe died at the zoo after swallowing a plastic bag and another was killed by a zebra."
Giraffe killed by a zebra!!!!!!!!!!isn't a zebra herbivorous?????????
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Apr 14, 2015 10:48pm
Thak gaya bechara pakistan ka surat e haal dekhake
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Apr 14, 2015 11:04pm
When a country with no resources spends billions on nuclear toys, the poor are bound to go hungry and animals starved to death as not even grass is available for them.
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Apr 14, 2015 11:10pm
A Giraffe killed by a Zebra, now I have heard everything.
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Apr 15, 2015 01:09am
It seems bad treatment of animals by Zoo care takers.
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Apr 15, 2015 01:32am
@Asim Soomro Didn't get you fully but knowledgably good comment. Thanks.
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Apr 15, 2015 01:58am
This is pak. no one cares.
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Apr 15, 2015 02:17am
@Faraz
Zebra kick to the nuts again?
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Apr 15, 2015 02:34am
Management panel should be fired...
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Apr 15, 2015 03:43am
Please do not kidnap these magnificent creatures from their natural surroundings and their herd and place them in these concrete jails simply for human amusement. Giraffes and other non-human mammals love their children and are very social in nature. These animals get bored to a point of utter depression. Please shut down these awful zoos.
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Apr 15, 2015 04:28am
I do volunteer for zoo and Every zoo have many volunteer opportunities and unfortunately very few people volunteer. But million ready for negative comments . Please first do something and than make comments.
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Apr 15, 2015 05:01am
@Qamar Vegetarians get heart attacks because they eat fatty food like fried items, ghee, etc. as well as too much salt and sugar. Giraffes eat uncooked foliage, so they cannot normally have heart attacks unless they are fed something poisonous which induces heart attack.
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