Bright’s Zoo released on Monday necropsy results on Kipekee, the spotless giraffe who passed away late last year.
The full veterinary necropsy was performed by the University of Tennessee to help the staff understand what happened. The finding showed that Kipekee was born with a congenital abnormality affecting the blood vessels of her liver. As a result, her liver never functioned normally.
Despite close monitoring and veterinary care, the zoo said this was not something that could have been prevented or corrected. Although the condition has been present since Kipekee’s birth, her decline occurred rapidly in the end.
Kipekee passed away in November at the age of two. She received national attention after being born July 31, 2023 at Bright’s Zoo without spots. Before her birth, the most recent giraffe reported born without a pattern took place in Tokyo in 1972. Another pattern less giraffe was born in Africa after the birth of Kipekee.
