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Daphne, the oldest giraffe in North America, showed her keepers at Utah's Hogle Zoo recently that she was ready to go.
She was 31, more than twice the average life span of a giraffe, basically lethargic but making it harder to give her medications.
And then "we found her lying down, which Daphne hasn't done for a long time," said Erika Crook, Hogle's associate veterinarian. "We'd been monitoring her for a few months and, as is often the case with animals, they let you know when it's time."
So Daphne was euthanized Monday by her keepers, who had watched as her usually "perky" personality had retreated as she displayed the degenerative musculoskeletal issues of old age and a declining appetite.
"She went on her own terms," said giraffe keeper Lisa Ellison, pleased that "she had a nice last week. The weather was warm, she was moving well. It was just her time and she let us know that."
Ellison said Daphne, who had many calves since arriving at the zoo in 1985, was a caring mother and aunt whose face often looked "like she was judging you. She was very observant. She learned by watching the other giraffes."
The loss of Daphne leaves Utah's Hogle Zoo with one adult male giraffe and three females, including four-month-old Willow, said zoo spokeswoman Erica Hansen.
She noted that the zoo is working with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation on a species survival plan for Daphne's species of giraffe.
To that end, Hansen said many of Daphne's body parts are being donated to various institutions, including the Museum of Osteology, for research.