Oakland Zoo mourning the loss of beloved giraffe Zawadi: 'Our brave, sweet boy'

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The Oakland Zoo is mourning the loss of one of its beloved giraffes.

The zoo announced on social media that Zawadi, a male giraffe, died on Monday.

Animal care team members were alerted to an incident yesterday afternoon.

They initiated emergency response protocol but found that Zawadi had already passed.

The zoo has not given specific details on what the incident was.

The animal care team described Zawadi as "our brave, sweet boy, who was highly intelligent, remarkably social and delighted to meet new people."

They said he was a "devoted big brother to Kendi" and enjoyed sparring with all the boys.

Zawadi had called the Oakland Zoo home since 2021.