Giraffe Dies at Tulsa Zoo

Tulsa, OK – TULSA, Okla. (AP) A 5-year-old female giraffe that suffered a neck injury while being transported to the Tulsa Zoo from Ohio has died. Zoo officials announced Friday that the giraffe named "Amali" died during a procedure to determine the extent of her neck injury. Zoo spokesman Angela Evans says Amali injured her neck Oct. 18 while she was being transported from her home zoo in Ohio. Evans says a team of veterinary specialists from Oklahoma State University sedated Amali Thursday so that X-rays could be taken and that the animal's condition quickly deteriorated after the procedure. Tulsa Zoo veterinarian Dr. Kay Backues says X-rays revealed the animal had a broken growth plate in her neck and resulting damage to her vertebrae. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.