Reid Park Zoo reports that just before 9 a.m. today before the Zoo opened, new giraffe Msituni, age 3, was briefly outside her enclosure. The Zoo immediately initiated emergency response protocol and delayed opening for an hour and a half until the issue was resolved.
Msituni was calm throughout this time. She stayed in one place, looking around and snacking on a nearby mesquite tree. She came back into her habitat on her own under the watchful eye of the Zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams. At this time all giraffes are safe and the Zoo has opened.
There will be short-term modifications made before Msituni is able to be back on habitat and those modifications began immediately following the incident. Longer-term permanent modifications will be made as well to accommodate Msituni’s athletic and curious nature.
There was never a risk to the public and Zoo operations are proceeding as usual.
