Floyd’s fractured foot broke many hearts this week at Brevard Zoo. Custom polyethylene rubber “shoes” weren’t enough to stabilize the giraffe’s broken foot.
So out of compassion, his keepers had to say goodbye to Floyd, long beloved for his sweet demeanor.
“We are heartbroken to share with you that Floyd, our 9-year-old Masai giraffe, was humanely euthanized after receiving an extensive exam for ongoing health issues,” the zoo announced on its Facebook page Tuesday.
Giraffes can live up to 25 years in the wild and longer in captivity, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
But Floyd had a long history of health issues and developmental delays that stretched back to his infancy, zoo officials said.
Walking difficulties worsened
Floyd had had been having trouble walking over the past few weeks. His symptoms worsened from “mild lameness to almost bearing no weight on his right front leg.”
The zoo’s veterinary team kept Floyd on stall rest and put him on multiple pain medications.
They performed a blood and urine tests, radiographs, thermography and hoof exams, all of which didn’t find the cause of his mobility issues.
So the team conducted a full-body exam. “This type of procedure requires anesthesia, which can be especially risky for giraffes due to their unique anatomy,” zoo officials said. “Floyd’s mobility challenges also added uncertainty. However, moving forward with the exam was the only way to understand how we could best help Floyd.”
During the exam, the vets found Floyd had a significant fracture to his right front foot, resulting in disruption of the tendons in that leg.
Zoo officials said it was unclear how Floyd was injured. None of his keepers had seen him jumping, falling or sustaining any other injuries. They suspect the injury may have been related to health issues he had in his earlier years.
Custom polyethylene rubber “shoes” were built and put on Floyd’s front hooves to support his foot in hopes he would heal. But despite a smooth procedure, Floyd couldn’t stand up after anesthesia.
“This was likely due to a combination of factors, including pain from the fracture in his foot and loss of function in the tendons of that leg,” zoo officials said. “Our team knew this was a risk going in, and they did everything they could to help give him the best chance of recovering well.”
They tried to hoist Floyd onto his feet several times.
“Considering his inability to bear weight and the strong chance the fracture would not heal, the compassionate but difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize him,” zoo officials said.
Contact Waymer at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard Zoo says goodbye to beloved giraffe Floyd
Reporting by Jim Waymer, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
