Giraffe dies after neck becomes entangled in support structure, fractures

A giraffe at a zoo in upstate New York has died after a freak accident.

>> Read more trending news

Parker, a 6-year-old Masai giraffe at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, died after he became stuck in a support structure at the giraffe enclosure gate, USA Today reported.

The incident happened on Sunday.

Parker was unresponsive when employees found him and zoo veterinarians were called but they were not able to save his life, WROC reported.

USA Today reported that Parker’s neck got caught in the structure and he broke his neck trying to get out of it.

Parker moved to the Seneca Park Zoo in 2018 and has a son named Olmstead who is just under a year old, according to WROC.

Parker’s other son had to be euthanized after three weeks after several medical interventions to correct a congenital abnormality did not work, making Parker’s death the second at the zoon in just over six months, USA Today reported.

The gate structure is standard at many zoos, zoo officials said in a news release, but Seneca Park is making modifications to make sure there’s not another incident. Zoo officials have also reached out to the manufacturer to alert them of a possible hazard, USA Today reported.

Masai giraffes were declared as endangered in 2019 because of poaching and land use, according to National Geographic.