April the Giraffe's youngest calf dies at Texas zoo

‘This condition was entirely unexpected and unpreventable’

The youngest calf of viral star April the Giraffe has died due to an “unexpected and unpreventable” condition, zoo officials have confirmed.

On Thursday, the East Texas Zoo and Gator Park announced that April’s calf, Azizi, died during a veterinary exam on Tuesday.

In March 2019, around 300,000 people tuned into the livestream of the birth of Azizi, who was April’s fifth calf born since she arrived at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, in 2015.

April became a viral star in February 2017, when at least 1.2 million people watched a livestream of her giving birth to the calf, Tajiri, which was named as a result of a name-the-baby contest.

Zoo officials said that Azizi had recently received treatment for a parasitic issue, adding that it appeared to be working.

However, in a Facebook post on Thursday, the East Texas Zoo and Gator Park wrote: “Azizi was showing signs of improvement. However, on Tuesday, Azizi was down, and passed during a veterinary examination.

“Post-mortem review revealed a twisted gut around his cranial mesenteric artery, which was ultimately the cause of his death.”

The park added: “This condition was entirely unexpected and unpreventable.”

Animal Adventure Park, which hosted April’s birth livestreams, also released a statement on Facebook, expressing sadness for Azizi’s death.

“His loss is absolutely devastating to our team, and he will be loved, missed, and cherished by the global Animal Adventure Park community.

“This news is heartbreaking, and we extend our condolences and support to the facility that Azizi called home.”