Taronga Zoo is devastated to announce the passing of our oldest Giraffe ‘Nyota’, who passed away last week at the age of 28. 
 
This is an incredible milestone given the average lifespan of a giraffe is between 20-25 years.
 
Nyota was born at Taronga Zoo in 1992 and was a very special, one-of-a-kind, free-spirited lady. 
 
She delighted guests and keepers alike with her smart personality and was always the ‘star’ of the Giraffe herd as her name suggested in Swahili. 
 
While Nyota had been struggling with a number of age-related conditions including dental disease and arthritis, sadly her condition deteriorated rapidly last week and the difficult decision was made to euthanize her to prevent any suffering. 
 
Upon further investigation, vets confirmed she had a life-threatening perforated stomach ulcer. 
 
Nyota will be sadly missed by all her knew her, including the keepers who cared for her so closely throughout her life and guests who Nyota was always too happy to greet.