“While we have been able to keep Rukiya comfortable with medication and provide some short-term relief, ultimately, it’s not possible to reverse age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis.
“As animal healthcare professionals we have a responsibility to make compassionate and timely evidence-based welfare decisions that are in the best interests of the animals in our care.”
Ungulates team leader Michael Hepher said Rukiya was an “exceptional animal” in many ways.
“We know that she was loved not only by zoo staff and volunteers, but by our wider community, many of whom have grown up and been able to connect with her over so many years.”
Auckland Zoo said Rukiya was an “outstanding contributor” to breeding and advocacy programmes for giraffes, having mothered five offspring, four of which had reproduced at the zoo.
Rukiya was not the only beloved animal to be euthanised in Aotearoa this week, as Christchurch’s Orana Wildlife Park announced on Friday it had to put down Siak the otter.
Earlier in the week, Siak was undergoing a procedure because of a mass on his neck that was affecting his breathing and eating.
“Sadly, once our veterinary team were able to assess the full extent of the mass, it became clear that it was far more advanced than we had hoped,” the park said in a post.
Last December, Auckland Zoo also euthanised elderly rhino Zambezi because of age-related health conditions.