NC zoo orders review of all animals’ toys after freak death of beloved giraffe

Handlers at the N.C. Zoo are going animal by animal, toy by toy to examine any possible hazard after a giraffe died this week when its head got stuck in a barrel it loved to play with.

A variety of objects in various habitats were being scrutinized after Jamili, a playful 9-year-old, was found dead, zoo spokesman Lane Ragsdale said Wednesday.

Keepers provide animals with a selection of objects geared to their instincts and interests – everything from floating buckets to the occasional paper mache zebra – to keep the creatures intellectually stimulated and engaged.

Such toys are popular with the zoo’s permanent residents.

“They’re called ‘enrichment items’ and they help the animals be happy and content in their homes,” Ragsdale said. “It stimulates their brains and causes them to interact better with other animals.”

Polar bear buckets

Keepers generally recycle everyday items that they know certain animals will adapt to their own purposes.

One of the most popular items at the zoo are big plastic buckets that the polar bears like to toss around and float aboard in their pool.

Pumpkins get handed out every Halloween. Some animals like to throw them like balls, some like to roll them, some just turn them into nutrition, Ragsdale said.

“Our keepers here are geniuses in finding things and turn them into enrichment,” Ragsdale said.

For a male lion’s birthday, keepers made a zebra out of paper mache and put it in the habitat as a treat. It didn’t do much for the male, but for the females – who do the hunting for the pride in the wild – it was a hit.

“Our lionesses went for it like it was a real animal,” Ragsdale said. “Sometimes we’ll take food and hide it in those kinds of things as a treat.”

Freak accident

Recycled plastic drink barrels, like the ones used by vendors at event venues, were popular among the giraffes, who liked to rub them and push them around, Ragsdale said. They had been played with by the animals for years without a problem.

But on Tuesday, Jamili was found dead in the enclosure. She had apparently gotten the barrel stuck on the small hornlike protuberances giraffes have on their heads. Keepers believe she thrashed about trying to get free, causing fatal injuries.

“Somehow, she got caught, and like any person would do, she panicked,” Ragsdale said. “We’re examining every enrichment item now to make sure there’s not a chance of this happening again.”

Guy Lichty, who is the zoo’s curator of mammals, said enrichment items go through a rigid approval process before being introduced into the habitats and are safety scrutinized to ensure they present no sharp edges, toxicity potential, swallowing hazards or other possible problems.

“They are tested before use,” Lichty said, “and many of these designs are shared among other zoos whose keepers are very creative in fabricating these interactive items.”

Jamili, who came to the Asheboro zoo in 2009, was a favorite among visitors when guests were invited to feed the giraffes, Ragsdale said.

“She was so easy going, so sweet,” he said. “It’s such a sad time here now.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 1:25 PM with the headline "NC zoo orders review of all animals’ toys after freak death of beloved giraffe."