A baby giraffe died after a two-month long battle in which zoo officials said she refused to feed on her mother’s milk.
The AFP noted that the giraffe named "Hsiao He,” who was born at a Taiwan zoo on March 12, died of malnourishment on Sunday.
The China News Post reported that the calf was surrounded by the many veterinarians and zookeepers that had been caring for her since birth.
Hasiao He weighed 130 pounds at birth and just 149 pounds when she died. The doctors and keepers were puzzled as to why the small giraffe would never feed on its own mother’s milk.
"The mother was very nervous," said Taipei Zoo spokesman Eric Tsao. "She stayed away when her baby tried to approach for milk. For unknown reasons, the baby had since refused to open her mouth."
Keepers tried to give Hasiao He goat and cow’s milk, but she did not seem to want either and feeding her from a bottle had become a struggle.
The Post pointed out that keepers had sought the help of researchers at the San Diego Zoo on how to treat the malnourished animal. Despite everyone’s best efforts though, the little giraffe could not survive without the nutrition from her mother.
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