Italian Circus Giraffe escapes

September 21, 2012 2:27 PM

An Italian Circus Giraffe escapes near Bologna. The circus staff gives chase, and eventually the big guy/gal is subdued by tranquilizers. Regrettably, it died later of cardiac arrest. (Photo slideshow on CNN).
posted by sweetkid (23 comments total)

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posted by Ufez Jones at 2:39 PM on September 21, 2012

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Nah, gotta do it right for a giraffe...

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posted by symbioid at 2:40 PM on September 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

Can we move the part about it dying below the fold? It's not an essential part of the story, and as a "zoo leads to more animal suffering" story, it's preferable not to rub people's noses in it on the front page.
posted by fatbird at 2:42 PM on September 21, 2012

Poor think. I can't read/look because giraffes are my favorite animal and I already cried once today from something on the internet. Clearly, this giraffe did not want to be a Bolognese circus giraffe. He wanted something more.
posted by PuppyCat at 2:43 PM on September 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

zoo leads to more animal suffering

It's not a zoo, it's a circus, big difference in my opinion.
posted by sweetkid at 2:44 PM on September 21, 2012

giraffes are my favorite animal

mine too!
posted by sweetkid at 2:44 PM on September 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

Sad story, but great pictures.
posted by Curious Artificer at 2:48 PM on September 21, 2012

Tragic. After a TERRIBLE life lonely imprisonmet far far away from family, friends and native habitat, the poor fellow dies of fright. Criminal, if you ask me.
posted by chance at 2:49 PM on September 21, 2012 [16 favorites]

He was making his break for New Hampshire!
posted by srboisvert at 2:49 PM on September 21, 2012

"Regrettably...." knowing what little I know of circuses, which is already too much, I take that with a grain of salt.
posted by Miko at 2:50 PM on September 21, 2012

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posted by resurrexit at 2:54 PM on September 21, 2012

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posted by trip and a half at 3:39 PM on September 21, 2012

Q: Why is a giraffe's head so far away from it's body?

A: Long neck

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posted by panaceanot at 4:12 PM on September 21, 2012

It's not an essential part of the story,

Tell that to the giraffe.
posted by Bookhouse at 4:28 PM on September 21, 2012 [4 favorites]

giraffes are my favorite animal

mine too!

And mine too.
posted by davebush at 4:29 PM on September 21, 2012

Well I feel a little sadder now than I did before... thanks
posted by crackingdes at 5:40 PM on September 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

I also love giraffes and cannot watch this.

I love their big, soft eyes that make them always look thoughtful (but are actually superevolved for predator spotting.) I like that they have long pointy prehensile tongues that are tough enough to wrap around thorny plants. Did you know giraffes have only seven vertebrae in their necks? Seven!! They're just really fucking big, especially compared to the ones in the spine. Giraffes are graceful and beautiful and very, very strange.

Plus, you've gotta respect a creature whose first act in this world is to fall six feet.
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:08 PM on September 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

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Poverino giraffe. They're such fantastic creatures. I seem to go to the zoo every weekend with my daughter and I still chuckle when I walk through the giraffes' inside quarters and see their feed bowls so high up. The keeper has a cage which runs suspended from the ceiling and leans out of it to clean their food platform.

I once felt a need to kiss a giraffe when I was working in South Africa. Gambit (his partner was Purdey) was just a devilishly handsome and affectionate brute.
posted by NailsTheCat at 8:05 PM on September 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I was a giraffe for Halloween once, but since I'm so short I called myself a "Shetland giraffe," you know, like a Shetland pony. I put on HUGE fake eyelashes because they have such pretty long lashes, and put my hair up in little buns like their horns.

I love them.
posted by sweetkid at 8:18 PM on September 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

You have to be really careful with giraffes. Two died not long ago in Poland after vandals broke into a zoo and fucked the place up. No one touched the giraffes as far as I can tell, but stress killed them.
posted by pracowity at 8:42 PM on September 21, 2012

That's both incredibly sad and a great reminder of the incredible physical effect stress has on all animals, including humans. Stress is a killer, no doubt about it.
posted by sweetkid at 8:48 PM on September 21, 2012

Aw, poor thing. He looked like he was having a great time running about in the first pic.

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posted by MissySedai at 9:04 PM on September 21, 2012

Giraffes mourn their dead.
posted by giraffe at 4:25 PM on September 22, 2012 [1 favorite]