Cheyenne Mountain Zoo bids farewell to 22-year-old giraffe Mahali

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo announced Monday that they have bid farewell to 22-year-old Mahali.

The zoo said that after Mahali's age-related decline in health, his care team made the difficult decision to euthanize him on April 10, 2025. At the time, he was the second-oldest male reticulated giraffe in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums facilities in the country, at 22 years old, the zoo said.

According to the zoo, Mahali helped advance giraffe care by allowing his team to glue orthopedic shoes to his hooves and by helping his team understand quality-of-life measurements that made sense for him as an old giraffe. A good quality of life for an aging giraffe includes having comfortable places to rest, participating in husbandry training, socializing with giraffe friends, eating well, being able to lie down and stand up, and traversing all terrains, the zoo said.

“Mahali was a rascal in his younger years. Some might remember we used to sell lettuce for giraffe feedings near the railing of the giraffe yard. We moved it because Mahali could reach over the railing, and he kept nudging staff to give him lettuce, like, ‘Hey, I see what you have there,'" said Amy Schilz, senior animal behaviorist at the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe at the zoo.

According to the zoo, Mahali was the first giraffe calf born in the current giraffe barn, hours before Mother’s Day in May 2003.

For more information, visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.