Fenn, the North Carolina Zoo's beloved giraffe calf, died in a tragic accident on Wednesday evening only months after his birth.
According to staff, Fenn was unexpectedly startled by another giraffe while nursing and sustained head and neck trauma suffered from a fall. He passed away despite rapid medical intervention from veterinary staff.
“The North Carolina Zoo family is shocked and devastated by Fenn's tragic death,” officials said in a Thursday news release.
Mother Leia arrived at the North Carolina Zoo in 2014 — five years after Fenn's father, Jack.
Leia gave birth to Fenn — the North Carolina Zoo's fifth giraffe — on May 20. He first weighed 145 pounds and measured nearly 6 feet tall.
After Fenn was born, the Zoo's giraffe keepers came up with a list of names and the public was solicited as well.
The name “Fenn” came from the surname of the founders of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Julian and Stephanie Fennessy. The foundation works for the preservation of giraffes in the wild.