A GIRAFFE who lived at Marwell Zoo all her life has died at the age of 19.

Makeda died on Wednesday, June 19.

The zoo’s veterinary team had been treating Makeda for serious dental disease for a number of months but the medication stopped working and the condition could not be left untreated.

Anaesthetising animals carries a risk and is particularly difficult with giraffes due to their size.

The procedure was a challenging one, with the zoo’s veterinary and hoofstock teams working together to anaesthetise Makeda to carry out the dental treatment, which, according to the zoo, went well.

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Makeda with zebras at Marwell ZooMakeda with zebras at Marwell Zoo (Image: Marwell Zoo)

However, she did not recover from the anaesthetic despite the efforts of zoo teams. Makeda was born at Marwell Zoo in 2005 and lived her whole life amongst the Marwell herd.

Marwell Zoo’s hoofstock team said: “The team is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our giraffes, Makeda.

“She was such an inquisitive character, with a keenness to be involved with everything, and made up an important part of our herd.

“Makeda did incredibly well when training with her keepers, thanks to her willingness to learn, and her love of food.

“She was greedy and confident, knowing exactly what she wanted, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. She will be greatly missed by us all.”