Young Griaffe dies in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom fire

[Brain Toad]

VALLEJO -- A two-year-old male giraffe named Makonnen died in a single-alarm fire that broke out in the giraffe barn of Vallejo's Six Flags Discovery Kingdom early Wednesday.

The blaze was reported at 2:09 a.m. and firefighters were at the park by 2:16 a.m., Vallejo fire spokesman Bill Tweedy said.

The giraffe barn, which is 40 feet wide, 20 feet long and 25 feet high, was fully involved in flames when firefighters arrived. Two giraffes that were in a corral adjacent to the building were led away from the flames and survived the fire, according to Tweedy."

The fire spread quickly inside the barn do to the fact that it was a wooden structure with a rubber mat on the floor covered by hay," Tweedy said.

The fire was contained by 2:35 a.m. but it was during the overhaul of the building that firefighters learned the blaze had claimed the life of Makonnen. The loss left workers devastated.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/14048524/detail.html
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg.../MN5IRVHO7.DTL

A very sad event to happen at Discovery Kingdom. I'm glad the other giraffes are fine though. Though I'm waiting for PETA to jump on this as another reason to take the animals out of Discovery Kingdom (they have already been trying to get the elephants taken away)

[CelestialImperium]

That's horrible news but I am glad some Giraffes did survive. I wouldn't doubt PETA will get involved here but their "efforts" are pointless.

[Quacky4Donald]

All I can say is that I was crushed when I heard this news on the radio. I remember going to the giraffe dock and feeding them apples and other fruit. I feel for the keepers of the giraffes. They must be in so much emotional pain. And of course my heart goes out to the poor 2-year old giraffe who passed over to The Other Side.

God bless.

...Joe...

[Brain Toad]

Well not exactly PETA, but a group is calling for an investigation into the incident.

http://www.timesheraldonline.com//ci_6827480

A frequent critic of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's animal policies sent a letter Thursday to federal regulators asking for an investigation into the death of the park's two-year-old giraffe.

Makonnen, the young giraffe, died early Wednesday after an electrical outlet in the barn malfunctioned, setting afire the hay on the floor and the wooden structure, a fire official said.


"The death of the giraffe is tragic. We wrote the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) because they need to look into the situation and determine whether the death was caused by a lack of facility maintenance," said Catherine Doyle, spokeswoman for San Rafael-based In Defense of Animals. The group also questioned the park's overnight supervision of its animals.


"Apparently drivers passing by first noticed the fire and not in fact the security personnel on the premises," Doyle said.


Park spokeswoman Nancy Chan said Six Flags immediately contacted the USDA, the park's animal regulatory agency, after the incident to file a report.


"Clearly this was an accident. There was no neglect as they're alleging," Chan said. "Of course, this group criticizes us no matter what we do. This was a tragedy, however we do provide excellent care of our animals."

All I can say is that I was crushed when I heard this news on the radio. I remember going to the giraffe dock and feeding them apples and other fruit. I feel for the keepers of the giraffes. They must be in so much emotional pain. And of course my heart goes out to the poor 2-year old giraffe who passed over to The Other Side.

God bless.

...Joe...

I also remember going as a child and feeding the giraffes, one of my favorite things to do at Marine World.

[sir clinksalot]

Very sad.

Well of course there will be an investigation into the incident. Isn't there always when there is a fire?