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“I’ve been doing this job for about 20 years now and every so often, really, really bad things happen,” Nic Masters, the director of wildlife health at the zoo, told the Star. “This is one of them.”

Masai giraffes are considered endangered species as fewer than 35,000 survive in the wild, according to the zoo — representing a 50 per cent decline in the past 30 years. 

Masters said the zoo had been carefully planning this operation for months in consultation with the Species Survival Plan Program, which manages Masai giraffes across North America to ensure the population is healthy and genetically stable.

The team decided that keeping Matu at the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøZoo, alongside his family group, would be best for his wellbeing. 

However, since Matu was going to be fertile very soon, they wanted to ensure he couldn’t breed with his mother or sister, who are also at the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøZoo, by castrating him.

“We want to keep herd animals like giraffe in relatively large groups when we possibly can, and we’ve got the space to do that here,” Masters said. “Part of the thinking behind it was that we would maintain a bigger social group, so better welfare for them in that bigger social group.”

The zoo said in its statement that it was aware of the risks of the animal going under anesthesia, especially with large vertebrates. 

Masters said that some of Matu’s genetic material has been collected by the zoo’s reproductive science team and will be housed in their biobank. 

“While Matu is no longer with us, his contribution to the survival of his species can live on for future generations of Masai giraffes in managed populations,” the zoo said.

Matu was born at the zoo in February 2022. He leaves behind his older sister Amani, born in May 2020, mother Mstari and father Kiko at the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøZoo. 

Before his passing, Masters described Matu as a “brilliant,” “inquisitive” and “playful” giraffe, who loved to explore. 

In October, he broke his toe on his hind left foot. During his treatment, Masters praised his attitude when he was entering the care of wildlife care keepers.

“He was a really great individual,” Masters said. 

Matumaini originates from the word “hope” in Swahili, a language commonly spoken in Kenya and Tanzania, where Masai giraffes are originally found. 

A necropsy will be conducted to determine his cause of death. 

The zoo said it will provide staff with access to grief counselling services. 

“It’s a tragic loss,” Masters said.