Giraffe with stillborn calf dies at zoo

LOS ANGELES, July 25 (UPI) -- A 26-year-old giraffe at the Los Angeles Zoo died after veterinarians removed a stillborn calf, the zoo announced.

Asali, who lived most of her life at the zoo, had given birth to 12 calves since 1988, the Los Angeles Times reported. In their announcement Friday, officials said veterinarians had been struggling to remove the calf for two days and Asali died soon after they succeeded.

Her death leaves the zoo with five giraffes, the youngest 4 months and the oldest 23.

Asali, one of the last Masai giraffes to be sent to a U.S. zoo after being captured in the wild, arrived in Los Angeles when she was less than a year old.

Bob Barnes, the registrar, helped transport her to the zoo when she arrived. He remembered the trip up the Harbor Freeway with Asali in a crate on a flatbed truck, her long neck and head sticking out of the top.

"For many who will never travel to Africa, Asali served as an ambassador to her wild cousins and provided our guests with the opportunity to marvel at the beauty and massive height of this species," John Lewis, the zoo director, said.