The deaths of two giraffes at the Detroit Zoo this year appear to be tragic accidents − the type that take place in the wild, too, an expert has said.
Nguvu and Okidi, young and new additions to the herd, were both euthanized this year after being seriously injured at the zoo situated in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak. The way they got those injuries – one amid an interaction in the herd this August and the other by running into a viewing panel earlier in the year – is the type of incident Paul Rose has seen in his more than 20 years as a zoo animal welfare scientist.
“It doesn’t sound like they’re doing anything wrong,” Rose said of the Detroit Zoo team while discussing the most recent publicly available information on Thursday, Aug. 6. Rose is a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and has served in an international giraffe conservation group,
Nguvu, a male giraffe, was a year old when the transfer to Detroit was announced in May.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, there was an interaction between two other giraffes, said Sarah Culton, communications manager at the Detroit Zoo, in an email.
“Nguvu was not the target of aggression,” she said. “During an interaction between two other giraffes, one of the animals inadvertently collided with Nguvu, causing Nguvu to fall onto his side.”
When it was determined his injuries were too great to overcome, Nguvu was euthanized on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Rose said that adult giraffes are hefty and even female giraffes can push a ton in weight.
Adult male giraffes also compete, swinging their long necks against each other and striking each other with their thick, bony skulls.
Nguvu wouldn’t have the same strength and weight.
Rose emphasized that he didn’t know the details of what happened but said: “It’s not always going to be a safe environment when animals are competing, and you don’t want to stop that behavior entirely because it’s important for their breeding, it’s important for their social grouping, it’s important for them to be as natural as possible.”
The prior death was that of Okidi, who was born at the Detroit Zoo in November 2025 and was euthanized after crashing into an indoor viewing panel when she was just short of 3 months old.
It’s a “heartbreaking” loss, especially as giraffes are a threatened species of conservation value, Rose said.
Yet, people can find safari videos online of young, inquisitive animals being playful and, for example, falling into a ravine, Rose said. It does happen: animals will do the unexpected, and even in the best environment, that animal can somehow find a small hiccup in the design – just like domesticated pets people keep at home.
Even so, Rose imagines there is some soul-searching going on at the Detroit Zoo and discussions about how to manage the herd. There’s learning to do.
The zoo made such next steps evident in its statement announcing Nguvu’s death.
“Caring for wildlife is both a privilege and a profound responsibility,” the zoo stated. “As with any significant event involving an animal in our care, we will carefully review this incident to learn everything we can and continue strengthening our practices.”
A zoo spokesman also previously told the Free Press that while both tragic and heartbreaking, the two giraffe deaths of 2026 were unrelated.
Rose noted that the Detroit Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
That group can and does deny accreditation renewals when top standards are not met.
“I don’t think either of these two incidents, to me, sound like bad giraffe care,” Rose said. “The fact that they’re breeding them and the fact that they have a transfer of another animal and they are maintaining this kind of multi-level social group is everything that you should do.
“I think they’ve just been incredibly unlucky, and my heart goes out to the keepers.”
Following further inquiry from the Free Press on Friday, Aug. 7, Culton stated that Nguvu was struck when, while standing near two other giraffes, “one bent their head toward the other and inadvertently collided with Nguvu.”
“These behaviors occur naturally both in the wild and in human care,” she said, also noting the Detroit Zoo team consulted association veterinary advisors during their response. “As with any serious incident, we are still actively reviewing this occurrence to learn everything we can. We remain steadfast in our commitment to animal well-being and transparency, and we are grateful for our community’s deep care for wildlife as we mourn this loss together.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What a giraffe expert makes of 2 deaths at Detroit Zoo
Reporting by Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
