April the giraffe’s calf Azizi dies unexpectedly at East Texas zoo

GRAND SALINE — Azizi, the youngest calf to the famous April the giraffe, passed away unexpectedly at the East Texas Zoo and Gator Park in Grand Saline on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, April garnered worldwide attention in 2017 when she gave birth to Tajiri. More than 1.2 million people tuned in live to witness his birth. The park said more than 300,000 people watched their video of new calf’s birth, which was live-streamed on YouTube.

The zoo released a statement late Wednesday night:

“Azizi, who was born in March of 2019, had recently received treatment for a parasitic issue. The veterinary prescribed regimen of treatments appeared to be working, and Azizi was showing signs of improvement. However, on Tuesday, Azizi was down, and passed during a veterinary examination. Post-mortem review revealed a twisted gut around his cranial mesenteric artery, which was ultimately the cause of his death. This condition was entirely unexpected and unpreventable. Azizi will be remembered fondly and deeply missed.”