By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (Reuters) – Kyah, a 6-month-old giraffe at the Oklahoma City Zoo, died on Tuesday during a risky surgical procedure being performed for the first time on a giraffe in hopes that it would save her life, a zoo spokeswoman said. A team of 12 experts assisting in the four-hour surgery was unable to repair a life-threatening condition known as persistent right aortic arch, and ultimately Kyah was euthanized in the operating room, said Tara Henson, spokesperson for the Oklahoma City Zoo. A necropsy will be performed on Kyah, who was 9 feet tall and weighed 525 pounds, to learn more about her condition, which is more frequently seen in dogs and has never before been diagnosed in a giraffe. It was conducted at an Oklahoma State University Veterinary School facility in Stillwater, north of Oklahoma City.
Baby giraffe in Oklahoma zoo dies during risky last-chance surgery
