We are deeply saddened to share the news that Tom, one of our male reticulated giraffe at Bristol Zoo Project, has died.

Tom, who was nine years old, had been receiving specialist care for ongoing problems with his hooves, but unfortunately, despite the best efforts of our Vet and Animal team, they had significantly worsened over time. As a result, Tom was in a lot of pain and the difficult decision was taken to euthanise him.

Tom touched the lives of many people during the time he was with us, especially our visitors. We hope everyone who knew him can take comfort in the fact that our teams did all they could, and it was the kindest decision for him.

The poor structure of Tom’s feet, which he developed at a young age, was thought to be genetic as his father had a similar problem. It resulted in chronic underlying changes to his bones, which worsened over time. When he was anaesthetised for hoof trimming in April last year, x-rays showed arthritis in both of his front feet. Since then, he has been on long-term medication to control any discomfort and had a supportive shoe fitted on his left front foot. However, follow-up radiographs showed that unfortunately, the lesions had progressed to the extent that the bones in his front feet had been badly damaged, and nothing could be done to improve this.

Will Walker, Curator of Mammals at Bristol Zoo Project, said: “The death of any animal is always hard, particularly for the teams who have been involved in caring for it every day.

“Many expert colleagues both here at the Society and externally, have been involved in Tom’s care, and done everything they can to find a solution to his foot issues. Making the decision to euthanise an animal is always a difficult one, but for Tom, sadly, we know it was the right thing for us to do.

“Tom was a charismatic member of our giraffe herd and will be greatly missed by us all. He was born on 29 March 2015 at Karlsruhe Zoological Garden in Germany and came to us here at Bristol Zoo Project in May 2017 when he was two.

“He was always a much-loved animal amongst keepers, and although we are not supposed to have favourites, he was one of mine, having worked with him since his arrival in 2017. From the day he arrived he was always a lovely tempered animal, and as the biggest of our giraffe, he had the reputation of being a gentle giant.

“Over the years we built up a great rapport with Tom, which enabled us to undertake a range of training, all of which was done to ensure the highest level of care and welfare. He was the star of the show when we hosted the first International Giraffe Care Conference in 2023. He happily participated in training sessions with zookeepers from around the world. This gave keepers skills and experience with training so that they could go back to their own zoos to start training with their own giraffe. I am extremely proud of all the hard work and care that the team gave Tom over the years and know that we will always cherish the time we had with him.”

Our Animal team will be closely monitoring the other males in the group, Dayo and Tico, over the coming days and months, as they adjust to Tom’s absence.