TORONTO, ON, Thursday, July 25, 2024: We are so saddened to share heartbreaking news about Matu, a two-year-old Masai giraffe. While under general anesthesia during a castration procedure this morning he stopped breathing and passed away. This is a very difficult announcement to make as our team is devastated and hurting.
Our team did an incredible job carefully planning for this procedure for months. As we shared yesterday, with any procedure under general anesthesia we knew there would be risks, especially with large vertebrates.
Animal welfare has always been our priority at your Toronto Zoo. As we continue to learn about the importance of the individual animal’s experiences, physical health, behavioural health, and overall environment, we want to ensure that animals residing in our care are given every opportunity to thrive. In Matu’s case, it was decided the best thing for his wellbeing was to remain in his family group, alongside his mother and sister rather than being isolated, which led to the decision to perform this procedure.
Our reproductive science team was able to collect and bank living genetic material from Matu, which will be housed in our biobank. While Matu is no longer with us, his contribution to the survival of his species can live on for future generations of Masai giraffes in managed populations.
In December 2018, the conservation status of Masai giraffes was elevated to Endangered by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN). Fewer than 35,000 Masai giraffes survive in the wild, having experienced more than a 50% decline in the past 30 years. Illegal hunting and habitat loss are their primary threats.
Our entire Toronto Zoo team is in mourning and we know this will be difficult news to process for our broader Zoo community. If you are visiting the Zoo in the coming days, we respectfully ask you to give our team space as we process this loss and grieve his passing. Due to the nature of the event we will be providing our staff with access to grief counselling services.
A necropsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death and we will provide information on the results when they are available.
Thank you for your continued support especially during this very difficult time.