The news is upsetting for the keepers and veterinary team who cared for the new arrival and did all they could to help give the calf a chance.
This was the third giraffe born at the zoo in just four months. Every new arrival is a valuable boost to the endangered species breeding programme, making the loss even more disappointing.
Rothschild’s giraffe are facing the threat of extinction in the wild, and lessons learned by the team at Chester Zoo are hugely important for the conservation of the species in the field. Chester Zoo keepers and conservationists are working with field partners in Uganda to protect one of the largest remaining populations of Rothschild’s giraffe in the wild.