Zoo shares news of giraffe passing, baby flamingo hatched

In a news release with the headline "Zookeepers encounter circle of life daily," the Dickerson Park Zoo shared some sad and exciting news.

A week and a half ago, the zoo's staffers say they were pleased to discover the egg on a Chilean flamingo nest had successfully hatched.

On Wednesday, the staff said it was "saddened to report the death of a beloved giraffe, Cheka."

The hatching was the first of a Chilean flamingo in seven years, the zoo says.

The release says: "After minor initial aggression by other adult birds, the flamingo chick is doing well and venturing off its nest under the protective gaze of its parents. Zookeepers separated the parents and chick from the rest of the flock to protect the chick from more aggressive adult male birds. Zookeepers are slowly reintroducing adult members of the flamingo flock to the yard as the chick grows."

The male-female adult flamingos have previously raised five chicks. "Flamingos establish long-term pair bonds as long as the pairs are successful. When they hatch, flamingo chicks are covered with fluffy gray feathers; as they molt, their feathers become more sleek. The chick will not fully develop the characteristic pink feathers for a few years," the zoo says.

The giraffe's passing ends its time in Springfield that started almost two decades ago.

Cheka arrived at the zoo in May 1995 at the age of 16 months. During her transport from California to Missouri, she injured her right front ankle, damaging the hide to the point that it continued to be scar tissue. "Over the years, zookeepers have provided extensive care for the scarred area. Cheka matured and became an important part of Dickerson Park Zoo's successful giraffe breeding program, giving birth to nine calves since 1999," the zoo says.

The summer brought more problems for the giraffe, including "increasingly intensive treatment including anti-inflammatory medications and hydrotherapy to reduce infection in her hoof/ankle area," the zoo says.

More recently came weight loss, mobility problems and news the infection had spread to her bone with little chance of successful treatment, the release says. "Assessing Cheka's quality of life and the low probability of her recovery from the infection, the zoo's animal care staff made the decision to humanely euthanize her Tuesday," the release says.

Cheka was 21 years old; the median life expectancy for female giraffes is 15.8 years.