3 animals at San Diego Zoo die days apart

Staff, visitors are in mourning over the deaths of a gorilla, a polar bear and a giraffe

- BY RUBEN VIVES

MAKA, a 30-year-old Western lowland gorilla, died of a cardiac event last week at the San Diego Zoo, just days after Nicky, a Masai giraffe, had to be euthanized.

It has been a challenging time for the San Diego Zoo, where three beloved animals — a polar bear, giraffe and gorilla — died within days of each other.

The latest death occurred last week, when Maka, a 30-year-old Western lowland gorilla, suffered a cardiac event, according to zoo officials.

His sudden death came four days after Kalluk, a 24-year-old male polar bear, and Nicky, a 28-year-old Masai giraffe, were euthanized on the same day to minimize suffering as they neared the end of their lives.

"That week was hard. We were like: 'We just can't catch a break right now,'" said Nicki Boyd, curator of mammals, ambassadors and applied behavior at the zoo.

The three animals were longtime residents of the zoo, capturing the eyes and hearts of visitors while helping promote conservation efforts for their species.

The woeful week began on Aug. 14, when a wildlife health and care team conducted a medical examination of Kalluk. They had noticed a change in his behavior for the last few weeks.

"Getting the call that he was in kidney failure was just a gut punch," Boyd said.

Kalluk arrived at the San Diego Zoo as a cub in 2001 after being orphaned along with his sister, Tatqiq. Zoo officials said he was inquisitive, gentle and smart.