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Baby giraffe Zuri dies at Cameron Park Zoo

Zuri, who was less than a month old, died just days after her mother, Penelope.

WACO, Texas — The Cameron Park Zoo is mourning the loss of another one of their beloved giraffes, a baby Masai calf named Zuri.

According to a release from the zoo, Zuri died on the morning of July 22.

Zuri's death comes just days after the death of her mother, 10-year-old Penelope, who died on Wednesday, July 19.

The zoo had been hand-rearing Zuri since Penelope's death, and had transitioned her to a milk formula to feed her. The zoo was also having Zuri connect with Jenny, another female giraffe at the zoo who they hoped could be a motherly figure for Zuri.

Zoo officials said they had been monitoring Zuri's development.

A necropsy, an animal autopsy, was performed to determine Zuri's cause of death, according to the zoo, who also said they plan to have an independent review performed. They say it could take several weeks to receive the results of the necropsy.

Zuri was born on Friday, June 23, 2023. The Cameron Park Zoological & Botanical Society hosted a naming contest on Facebook to choose her name.

Zuri was less than a month old.

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