Singapore Zoo's female giraffe, Lucy dies during childbirth

Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Lucy Wildlife Reserves Singapore/ Facebook

A female giraffe, Lucy, who used to live in the Singapore Zoo, died on Tuesday, February 5 during giving birth to her baby.

In a Facebook post, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) said, "During the process to extract the foetus from Lucy, she went into cardiac arrest and despite more than 10 minutes of attempting to resuscitate her, the effort was in vain."

As per the post, the authority also confirmed that the 14-year-old giraffe, which had been confirmed to be pregnant with her first calf in April 2018, died at around 7 pm on Tuesday.

They added, "For her keepers and the veterinary team who have been monitoring her progress in gestation for the past many months, and who have been on constant watch over her since the last 48 hours, it was a very bitter ending."

"We would also like to share our appreciation to all our online supporters for their love and well wishes," WRS added.

The female giraffe came to Singapore in 2005, after she made a 16-day sea voyage from The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Israel.

After WRS posted the news on its Facebook page, people started to share their memories of Lucy on the comment box. One of them said, "I just saw u with my baby last month Lucy with your cute baby in your tummy. Both of you are in a better place now. Rest in peace, Lucy & baby."

Another user said, "Oh this just breaks my heart. I know the team did all they could to assist her. Prayers for the keepers and zoo staff as they mourn her loss. RIP Lucy."

In April 2017, Singapore's last polar bear Inuka euthanized on humane grounds after the veterinary team found that even though the male bear had received intensive treatment, his health refused to become better.

This article was first published on February 6, 2019
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