Baby Masai Giraffe Ubumwe Dead 18 Days After Birth in Columbus Zoo

Summary: Baby Masai giraffe Ubumwe delighted Columbus Zoo and Aquarium staff in Ohio with delivery Oct. 30, 2018, and devastated all with death Nov. 17, 2018.

Ubumwe, comforted by her caretakers: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium @columbuszoo, via Facebook Nov. 17, 2018

Animal care team members for the Heart of Africa area in Ohio's Columbus Zoo and Aquarium await animal autopsy and pathology reports about the dead baby Masai giraffe Ubumwe Nov. 17, 2018.

Eight-year-old Zuri (from Swahili for "beautiful") bore her first-born calf Oct. 30, 2018, at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, EDT (8:30 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time, UTC). Her daughter Ubumwe (from Kinyarwanda for "togetherness" in Rwanda, central-east Africa) with 8-year-old Masai giraffe Enzi (from Swahili for "exalt") came out head and hooves first. Ubumwe displayed healthy nursing as a 105-pound (47.63-kilogram), 64-inch (1.62-meter) one-day-old Oct. 31 and as a 130-pound (58.97-kilogram) three-day-old Nov. 2, but not as a 17-day-old.

The baby Masai giraffe Ubumwe exhibited constipation, dehydration and pain around 6 p.m. and midnight EDT (10 p.m. Nov. 16 and 4 a.m. Nov. 17, UTC).

Computed tomography (CT) scan and ultrasound (high-frequency waves) furnished Dr. Randy Junge of the Animal Health Center no reason to operate on "abnormality of the bowel."

The baby Masai giraffe Ubumwe gave her last breaths at 8:30 a.m. EDT (12:30 p.m. UTC) after guarding darkened face, lowered body temperature and recurring dehydration. Wild-born calves of Masai giraffes, hailed as Kilimanjaro giraffes commonly and Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi (Tippelskirch's camel-like, leopard-like giraffe) scientifically, have their first month with birth mothers. Fourteen- to 15-month gestations initiate two- to six-hour births of Tippelskirch's camel-like, leopard-like giraffes, identified scientifically in 1898 by Paul Matschie (Aug. 11, 1861-March 7, 1926).

Six-foot (1.83-meter), 200-pound (90.72-kilogram) newborn males and smaller females, like the baby Masai giraffe Ubumwe, juggle 6-foot (1.83) meter drops from birth canals to the ground.

The baby Masai giraffe Ubumwe knew walking skills within 20 to 60 minutes even though newborns, plant-eaters as three- to four-week-olds, keep to year-long nursing schedules.

Rotating shifts of wild counterparts to Masai giraffe mother Zuri lead the 20- to 30-member herd's nurseries while other physically and sexually mature females locate food. Brown-eyed, thick-eyelashed females and males manifest 16-plus-foot (4.88-meter) versus 19-plus-foot  (5.79-plus-meter) heights; 1,575- to 2,700-pound (714.41- to 1,224.69-kilogram) versus 2,475- to 4,275-pound (1,122.64- to 1,939.11-kilogram) weights. They net 18-plus-inch (45.72-plus-centimeter) black-blue-tipped, saliva-thickened tongue, 2-foot (0.61-meter) head, 6.56-foot (2-meter) leg and neck, 12-inch (30.48-centimeter) foot, 40-inch (101.6-centimeter) upper-tail and 40-inch (101.6-centimeter) tail-hair lengths.

Physically and sexually mature three-plus-year-olds obtain 100-pound (45.36-kilogram) heads; 1.5-pound (0.68-kilogram) brains; 450-pound (204.12-kilogram) necks; 25-pound (11.34-kilogram) hearts; 280-foot- (85-meter-) long intestines; 6-inch- (15.24-centimeter-) wide hooves.

The brown-, cream-, orange-spotted Giraffidae family member paces with right, then left legs forward and passes 35-mile (56.33-kilometer) hourly speeds with front, then back legs forward.

Four-chambered stomachs and bony-ridged, prehensile-tongued, 32-toothed mouths qualify bone-grinding, soil-grazing Masai giraffes for acacia, mimosa, wild apricot and 97-plus trees' bark, buds, fruits, leaves and twigs. Ethiopian, Kenyan, Somalian and Tanzanian Masai giraffes daily require 10- to 120-minute lie-down sleeping or stand-up napping; 16-plus-hour browsing; 10-gallon (37.85-liter) hydrating; 75-pound (34.02-kilogram) plant-eating regimes. Bellows, bleats, coughs, growls, grunts, moans, moos, snorts, whistles; infrasounds outside human frequencies; multi-directional kicks signal stress from predatory cheetahs, crocodiles, hyenas, leopards, lions and poachers.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature imminently terms baby Masai giraffe Ubumwe, captive and 32,000-plus wild populations critically endangered from agro-industrialization, poaching and skin disease.

newborn Ubumwe (birthday Oct. 30, 2018) with her mother, Zuri: Columbus Zoo ‏@ColumbusZoo, via Twitter Nov. 2, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Ubumwe, comforted by her caretakers, Nov. 17, 2018: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium @columbuszoo, via Facebook Nov. 17, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/columbuszoo/photos/a.105162722105/10156116090937106/

newborn Ubumwe (birthday Oct. 30, 2018) with her mother, Zuri: Columbus Zoo @ColumbusZoo, via Twitter Nov. 2, 2018, @ https://twitter.com/ColumbusZoo/status/1058460100321525760

For further information:

"Baby Giraffe Born at Columbus Zoo." 10 TV > Published 10/30/18 06:30 AM EDT Updated 11/12/18 03:41 PM EST.
Available @ https://www.10tv.com/article/baby-giraffe-born-columbus-zoo

"Baby Giraffe Dies at Columbus Zoo." NBC4i > News > Local News > 17 November 2018.
Available @ https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/baby-giraffe-dies-at-columbus-zoo/1603681997

"Baby Watch: 2 Baby Giraffes Expected 'Any Day Now' at Ohio Zoo." WLWT5 > Updated 7:18 AM EDT Sep 24, 2018.
Available @ https://www.wlwt.com/article/2-giraffes-close-to-birthing-at-ohio-zoo-and-theres-a-live-cam/23130420

The Columbus Dispatch. 30 October 2018. "Baby Giraffe Born at Columbus Zoo." Canton Rep > News.
Available @ https://www.cantonrep.com/news/20181030/baby-giraffe-born-at-columbus-zoo/2

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium @columbuszoo. 2 November 2018. "Introducing Ubumwe the giraffe! Zuri’s daughter now has a name thanks to a longtime Columbus Zoo and Aquarium supporter. Ubumwe means 'togetherness' or 'unity' in Kinyarwanda, the official language of Rwanda. . . ." Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/columbuszoo/photos/a.105162722105/10156084943827106/

Columbus Zoo ‏@ColumbusZoo. 2 November 2018. "Introducing Ubumwe the #giraffe! Zuri’s daughter now has a name thanks to a longtime #ColumbusZoo supporter. Ubumwe means 'togetherness' or 'unity' in Kinyarwanda, the official language of Rwanda. Check in with Zuri and Ubumwe on @NatGeoWild’s live cams: http://giraffebirthcam.com." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/ColumbusZoo/status/1058460100321525760

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium @columbuszoo. 17 November 2018. "It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that Ubumwe, the female Masai giraffe calf born on Oct. 30, passed away today at approximately 8:30 a.m. At this time, the cause is unknown, and we will not have more information until a necropsy (animal autopsy) is conducted and a pathology report is received in several weeks. . . ." Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/columbuszoo/posts/10156116102092106

Knapton, Sarah. 14 November 2018. "Giraffes At Risk of Extinction As They Are Given 'Critically Endangered' Status for First Time." The Telegraph > News > Science.
Available @ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/11/14/giraffes-risk-extinction-animals-listed-critically-endangered/

Martinelli, Deborah. 17 November 2018. "Columbus Zoo Announces Death of Newborn Baby Giraffe." WDTN > 2 News > Ohio.
Available @ https://www.wdtn.com/news/ohio/columbus-zoo-announces-death-of-newborn-baby-giraffe/1603950710

Matschie, P. (Paul). 1898. "Einige anscheinend noch nicht beschriebene Säugetiere aus Afrika." Sitzungs-Berichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin. Jahrgang 1898, no. 7 (19 juni 1898): 75-81. Berlin, Germany: R. Friedänder und Sohn.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8790817

Neese, Alissa Widman. 21 June 2018. "2 Baby Giraffes To Be Born End of Summer at Columbus Zoo." The Columbus Dispatch > News.
Available @ https://www.cantonrep.com/news/20181030/baby-giraffe-born-at-columbus-zoo/2

Toon, Ann and Stephen B. "Giraffe: Giraffa camelopardalis." In: Michael Hutchins, Devra G. Kleiman, Valerius Geist and Melissa C. McDade, eds. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Second edition. Volume 15, Mammals IV: 408-409. Farmington Hills MI: Gale Group, 2003.

Wynn, Sarah. 2 November 2018. "Columbus Zoo Announces Name of Newborn Giraffe Calf." ABC 6 On Your Side > News > Local.
Available @ https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/columbus-zoo-announces-name-of-newborn-giraffe-calf