Sad loss as wandering giraffe dies in Assagay
|Published
Durban - One of the two giraffes which were “mysteriously” delivered to a property in Assagay last week after being transported, apparently from Limpopo, has died.
“We did everything in our power to rescue her. I can only think that the stress of being transported overnight, then the escape followed by the rescue was just too much for her. She was highly stressed, we couldn’t save her, she was too far gone,” said Michelle Grant, manager at Phezulu Safari Park and Conservation Area.
According to witnesses, the male and female pair caused consternation when they were offloaded from what was described as a furniture truck on Tuesday morning.
The female wandered from the property where she was offloaded and onto the neighbour’s backyard where she slipped and fell into a pool of mud.
A major rescue operation was undertaken and several organisations, including Phezulu conservation, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the SPCA and the police, were on hand to assist.
At the time, people at the property told the Independent on Saturday staff and curious onlookers that the owner was on holiday in Abu Dhabi. None of the organisations involved in the rescue operation would name the owner.
Grant said during the rescue operation the giraffe was darted with a tranquilliser, then blindfolded before she was walked back across onto the property where she came from.
She said the owner of the property granted her and colleague Matthew Grant permission to bring food onto the property for the animals.
However, Grant said that the day after the rescue the owner called to say the animal was not doing well.
Phezulu was asked to assist. Two vets were also there while the owner asked that no expense should be spared to save the animal.
“I was there when it suffered a seizure and died,” said Grant.
The surviving male giraffe was taken to Phezulu through Alverstone where he was microchipped, tagged and released and yesterday was seen with the resident herd of giraffes.
“If we did not remove that animal from the property he would have died. We released him and let him be. This morning we saw him with the herd,” she said.
Grant cautioned that the giraffe, named Freedom in honour of Freedom Day, was not yet out of the woods. She said it could take a few days until they knew if he would survive.
Kloof and Highway SPCA manager Barbara Patrick yesterday said: “We are devastated by the loss of this female giraffe, who was injured and suffered unnecessarily; wild animals belong in the wild.”
The Independent on Saturday has learnt that the owner of the property where the giraffes were delivered wanted to keep them as family pets.
There were allegedly no permits for transporting the animals to Durban, a permit for owning them or keeping them at a residential property.
However, the owner of the Assagay property where the giraffes were delivered has denied that the animals belonged to him.
The businessman was interviewed by the Independent on Saturday, but withdrew his permission to report on the conversation.
Yesterday Patrick confirmed that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife had opened a case against the owner of the property and that the Kloof and Highway SPCA would also open a case of animal cruelty against the owner.
“The good news is that the male giraffe is doing well, he is eating and is with the other giraffe at Phezulu, where he is being closely monitored,” she said.
The Independent on Saturday