A fight between two giraffes at the Little Rock Zoo has resulted in the death of one.
Jigsaw, a 13-year-old giraffe that has been at the zoo since his birth in 2000, died as a result of injuries he suffered following an altercation with fellow giraffe Mesi, zoo officials said in a statement Monday.
Zookeepers found Jigsaw lying with his head down on Sunday morning on the zoo grounds. He died a short time later, according to the news release.
An initial investigation showed that Mesi was able to open “a large, metal dividing gate” that separated the two animals on Saturday evening. After gaining access to Jigsaw’s pen, Mesi sparred with Jigsaw until Jigsaw fell, the news release states.
The incident has prompted zoo officials to take added measures that will ensure the safety of the park’s giraffes by improving the gate.
Mesi, who has been at the zoo since 2006, was not significantly injured in the fight and will continue to stay at the zoo, the release adds. Jigsaw’s body was transported to the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission State Laboratory for a necropsy.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more details.