Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Announces Giraffe Is Not Pregnant
By Danielle Chavira
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo announced it is ending months of anticipation surrounding the pregnancy of one of their giraffes. Zoo officials said Monday, tests seem to have "led us down the wrong path."
In February, the zoo announced two of their giraffes, Laikipia and Muziki, were pregnant. The first to give birth would mark the 200th giraffe calf at the zoo.
Muziki ended up giving birth to Penny in June. Penny was later put down in July after weeks of dealing with and fighting health issues.
Eyes turned to Laikipia to deliver the next giraffe calf. Zoo keepers had test results showing she was pregnant and expected her to deliver sometime by the summer, but they, and much of Colorado, waited day in and day out with no sign of urgency from Laikipia.
Zoo staff later performed additional ultrasound and pregnancy tests to make sure Laikipia was actually pregnant.
On Monday, the staff announced they are shutting down the birth cam, which they say was meant to be temporary. They say the other live cameras showing the herd in the outdoor area are still available for giraffe lovers.
The zoo thanked all those who joined the roller coaster ride over the last several months:
"We would like to thank everyone who has followed the entire journey of our giraffe birth cam - from when it went public back in April 2018, through today. We have all experienced the excitement of the #Raceto200, the beauty of a live birth, the sorrow of a tragic loss, and even the confusion provided by Laikipia - and we've experienced it all TOGETHER!"