Karnataka   

Giraffe ‘Honey’ dies at Mysore zoo

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

REST IN PEACE: ‘Honey’ which died at the Mysore zoo in the early hours of Tuesday.

MYSORE: Reckoned to be a prolific breeder but a “bad mother”, “Honey”, a female giraffe, died at the Mysore zoo in the early hours of Tuesday following complications arising out of pregnancy.

The giraffe was 20 and had outlived its natural life span. Giraffes are said to live up to 18 in the wild and 20 in captivity. “Honey” was on constant medication after it gave birth to its ninth young one on October 13 and developed complications as the placenta did not drop.

“Honey” was brought to Mysore zoo from Germany in 1988. It helped in captive breeding of giraffes here.

However, having been rejected by its mother soon after birth, “Honey”, which was hand-reared by the zoo authorities, too rejected all its young ones. The young ones were also hand-reared by the veterinarians and staff of the Mysore zoo. The arrival of “Honey” from the Carl Hagenbeck Zoo in Germany in 1988 along with its male partner, “Henry”, created a stir among animal lovers as the Mysore zoo had had no a giraffe for more than 10 years till then. The pair quickly adjusted themselves to the new environment and soon became a major attraction and a favourite among the visitors to the zoo.

Executive Director of Mysore zoo Vijayranjan Singh has in a release said “Honey” gave birth to its first calf on May 24, 1992. The first three calves did not survive after being rejected by “Honey”. The subsequent calves were hand-reared by the staff on the guidelines given by the Los Angeles Zoo and other zoological parks. Thus Mysore zoo became the fist zoological park in the country to successfully hand-rear giraffes. The zoo authority has mourned the death of “Honey”.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Ashraya beneficiaries gherao official
University sought in Davangere
BSP calls for mid-term polls
Employees’ association refutes charge
South Goa bypoll today
Power for poor
IMSACON 2007 in Manipal
Workers union opposes move to privatise Bal Bhavan
Deer dies in Bannerghatta
Sericulture to get special thrust in 11th Plan
Foodgrains production may go up
Computer literacy award for Navodaya Vidyalaya
Farmers call off agitation
Giraffe ‘Honey’ dies at Mysore zoo
Condition of roads deteriorates as it continues to rain
AIMSS to hold meeting in Mysore in January
A khadi unit on its last legs
CBSE schools’ plea opposed
Clarification
Adopt flexible timings
Returned
Drop protest plan, Thakur tells BJP

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu