Roger Williams Park Zoo Mourns Death of Beloved Giraffe Jaffa Prince
Following a long and difficult recovery from a foot trim procedure, the Zoo made the difficult and devastating decision to euthanize Jaffa on Tuesday.
Courtesy of Roger Williams Park Zoo
It’s a sorrowful time in the Rhode Island animal-loving community: With “enormous sadness,” Roger Williams Park Zoo announced Tuesday that Jaffa Prince, the beloved Masai giraffe, has passed.
In June, Jaffa underwent a foot trim procedure to address his chronic hoof issues which were most likely a result of his eighteen-foot tall, 2,800 pound stature – large even by giraffe standards. The Zoo brought in various veterinary professionals from the Columbus Zoo, Omaha Zoo, Zoo New England and Tufts University’s veterinary anesthesia department, as well as farrier Steven Foxworth of the Zoo Hoofstock Trim Program, to assist. While Jaffa’s recovery initially went well, a setback led to a need for additional medical evaluation under anesthesia.
The Zoo consulted the same team of specialists. They discovered multiple areas of infection in both front feet which they treated with antibiotics and custom-fit shoes. They also used stem cells, a cutting-edge therapy for some animals, to treat his overall degenerative arthritis. Again, Jaffa seemed to recover well from the procedure and the team had high hopes, but “seventy-two hours later [he] suffered a fall that resulted in his inability to stand,” Dr. Kim Wojick, Roger Williams Par Zoo’s senior veterinarian, explains. “Our animal care and veterinary teams made the difficult decision euthanize him humanely.”
At just thirteen years old, Jaffa’s death is considered fairly premature as Masai giraffes often live between twenty and twenty-seven years under human care. It is also a devastating blow to the species as a whole, as their numbers have declined drastically over the years. With only 35,000 Masai giraffes left in the wild, they have been deemed endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Still, those who loved Jaffa are choosing to remember the good. Born at the Zoo on July 9, 2010 to mom Sukari and dad Griffin, Jaffa touched the hearts of guests, staff and volunteers alike over his decade-plus in Providence. Jenny Theuman, the Zoo’s animal care manager, recalls him as the “very definition of tall, dark and handsome” with a “stubborn and sweet, smart and aloof” nature.
“He loved knotweed and mulberry; crackling oat bran was his favorite special treat,” she shares. “Curious and expressive, keepers could often tell when Jaffa figured something new out. This same expressive face was periodically used to judge new staff, typically followed by a snort and flared nostrils. Gentle and patient, Jaffa embodied all the best qualities of a giraffe.”
Theuman adds that his death will be felt across the Zoo by every department.
“The loss of Jaffa Prince marks the end of an era,” she says. “The biggest boy left our world a little smaller today.”
We at Rhode Island Monthly are also feeling the loss on a personal level. Jaffa Prince’s name, at least in part, was a nod to our publisher, John Palumbo’s, tenure as Rhode Island Zoological Society Board Chair from 2002 to 2009. They shared the same initials and nickname of ‘J.P.’, and a plaque with Jaffa’s sweet face still hangs in our office today.
Photo by Kaitlyn Murray
The Zoo is encouraging visitors to share photos and fond memories of Jaffa on their Facebook and Instagram pages so that his keepers may be comforted during this difficult time. For more information about the Roger Williams Park Zoo, please visit rwpzoo.org.
