Mysuru: 22-year-old Krishnaraja, the oldest giraffe at Mysuru zoo died of old age here on Saturday.
The star attraction of the zoo, Krishnaraja was born on June 10, 1996 to parents Henry and Honey, who had been brought here from a German zoo on March 7, 1988. He was the fourth calf born to his parents and survived after being hand-reared at the zoo here, while the earlier three offsprings died due to lack of care from Honey.
Krishnaraja himself has fathered eight calves, of which six have survived.
Speaking to Newskarnataka C Ravi Shankar, Executive Director, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysuru said, “The average life span of a giraffe in India is 22-23 years while those in Africa and Zimbabwe can live for nearly 25 years. Parents of Krishnaraja also died when they were aged around 21-22 years. There were eight Giraffe in Mysuru zoo, Krishnaraja was the oldest one followed by his younger brother Yuvaraja which is 17-year-old. Among seven giraffe at present, two are male and the rest five are females.”
