Giraffes die from stress after zoo rampage

15 May 2012, 10:02 am   -   Source: AAP
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One of the giraffes died within hours of the incident and the second was found dead on Monday morning. (AAP)

One of the giraffes died within hours of the incident and the second was found dead on Monday morning. (AAP)

Two giraffes have died of stress after vandals went on a night-time rampage through a zoo in Poland.

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Two giraffes at a zoo in central Poland's Lodz have died of stress after unidentified vandals went on a night-time rampage, the zoo's management says.

The vandals broke in overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying benches, signs and sculptures and hurling pieces of the debris at the animals.

One of the giraffes died within hours of the incident and the second was found dead on Monday morning.

"The autopsy of the first giraffe, a three-year-old female, found a ruptured heart valve and bruising, a sign of a severe stress reaction," the zoo's deputy director, Wlodzimierz Stanislawski, told AFP.

"The second, a six-year-old female, was slightly ill before the incident. The stress likely aggravated the illness and finished her off.

"Giraffes are extremely timid. Stress causes a flight response in them. They react the same way to every unusual noise," said Stanislawski.

The zoo is not equipped with surveillance cameras and night security guards did not notice anything unusual.

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Your Comments

LEAVE 'EM ALONE

Tiju - from Voi, Kenya, 1 year

Leave the animals where they are supposed to be.. in the wild... !!! Do away with enclosures and zoos... and you'll have much happier animals..

F...vandals

Ania - from Lodz, 1 year

Rosalie - I agree - bullet to the head, that would be justice. I'm from Lodz. I cryed wheh I heard what happened. These animals are so helpless... No cameras are there! It's crazy!

You beautiful creatures.......RIP.

Rhonda - from Liverpool, 1 year

Ditto to the previous comment. Animals deserve our protection not destruction. I am sickened to the stomach by this act of cruelty and hope the vandalsare visited by karma very quickly indeed. Those beautiful animals, how could anyone be so horrible? I also feel for the zoo keepers.............they must be devistated.

A tragedy in a Polish zoo

not-so-confused Pole - from Melbourne, 1 year

I'm not surprised that something like this has happened in Poland....Under pseudo-communist political system, Poland used to be, more or less, an orderly country in a sense that streets were safe. Nowadays this is no longer so - there are lots of vulgar, abusive, solidly-built, rough hooligans roaming the streets, looking for a fight, just for the sake of it. I used to live there for half of my life. Poland has a long way to go before it becomes a mature nation and democracy, I was there 2y ago

Thats what happens

Mr t - from Brisbane, 1 year

The stress does indeed affect them to the point of severe injury and death. Normally in the wild the animals would have the freedom to try and escape however in our enclosures they have little room and are subjected to a lengthy stress reaction- many times longer and greater than what is experienced in the wild. I know of a farmer who had several livestock die, some from the predator and several more from heart attacks. Whatever attacked and killed the others literally scared the rest to death!

stress induced self destruct mechanism

confused - from Brisbane, 1 year

Surely these animals have not died of stress! rather poisoning, etc? It makes no sense for animals to have a stress induced self destruct mechanism. Living in the wild is stressful and any animal that dies of stress would surely be removed from the gene pool by natural selection. But, perhaps I'm wrong...

RIP Giraffes

Rosalie - from Melbourne, 1 year

How can this happen! The zoo's responsible for providing duty of care to these animals. Security guards and no surveillance equipment! Are you serious! All animals, regardless of whether they are wild, domestic or livestock deserve to live in safe environments. I can only hope that these low life vandals are caught and brought to justice. In my court a bullet to the head would be the punishment of choicet ... yes that would be justice!

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