April the Giraffe’s 19-month-old calf dies at Texas zoo: ‘Unexpected and unpreventable’

Azizi, one of April the Giraffe’s calves, died unexpectedly Tuesday at East Texas Zoo and Gator Park, the zoo announced Wednesday.

April the Giraffe gained international fame in 2017 when one of her births was live streamed to an audience of millions. The 17-year-old April has produced five calves.

Azizi was born in March 2019, with 300,000 people watching his birth on YouTube, the Associated Press reported.

He was transferred to the East Texas Zoo in Grand Saline that November, Animal Adventure Park announced.

Azizi was recently treated “for a parasitic issue,” according to the zoo. He initially showed signs of improvement but died during a veterinary examination Tuesday.

“Postmortem review revealed a twisted gut around his cranial mesenteric artery, which was ultimately the cause of his death,” the zoo wrote on Facebook. “This condition was entirely unexpected and unpreventable.”

The zoo’s website features several pictures of Azizi and another giraffe, Loki.

“Azizi will be remembered fondly and deeply missed,” the zoo wrote.