Long Island Game Farm defends care of giraffe that died in October

Long Island Game Farm officials said the giraffe that died in October was malnourished due to a resistance to medication from parasites and did not die due to starvation.

Bobo, a 3-year-old 12-foot giraffe, died Oct. 2 when he collapsed at the game farm in Manorville while preparing to be returned to his home at a zoo in South Carolina.

The giraffe was leased to the game farm, where he spent his summers on Long Island.

A USDA report found the giraffe died of malnourishment, cold living conditions and a “heavy parasite load and poor body condition.”

Melinda Novak, the game farm’s president, said in a statement issued Wednesday: “Bobo had a drug-resistant parasite that he was being treated for prior to his death. At the time of his passing, Long Island Game Farm was initially informed that heart failure had been the cause of death.”

A necropsy found the giraffe showed “serous atrophy of fat,” which may be associated with giraffe deaths “due to energy deficient diets and colder temperatures,” according to the USDA report cited in a Newsday article, which also quoted an animal advocate who was critical of Bobo's care.

The game farm followed a feeding schedule by Bobo’s owner, including a diet of feeding pellets, carrots and lettuce. The giraffe was under veterinarian care for about two months to be treated for the parasite, Novak said. She said a necropsy from Cornell found Bobo had an unusually small heart.

The USDA says giraffes have better survival rates with temperature-controlled barns and higher energy feeds. The game farm had a heater near the ceiling, but no surrounding insulation, chest-level heating or temperature gauge inside, according to the USDA.

Novak noted that while temperatures outside at the time of Bobo’s death were in the 50s following heavy rain, the temperature inside the barn is kept above 60 degrees. “The barn was warmer to ensure Bobo’s comfort and safety,” Novak said in the statement. “Bobo did not freeze, nor does the USDA report indicate that he did.”

The game farm was issued a warning of violation following Bobo’s death and the USDA told the facility it must make improvements before it obtained another giraffe. A follow-up inspection by the USDA found no violations.

Novak said the game farm has been speaking with inspectors, who said it may obtain another giraffe after an inspection.

“The inspector did confirm that the game farm has permission to have another giraffe in the future,” Novak said in the statement. “We had begun raising funds for a year-round giraffe house prior to Bobo’s death with a goal toward housing giraffes year-round.”

The Long Island Game Farm holds licenses and permits from USDA-Aphis Animal Welfare, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, NYS Agriculture and Markets, and the Suffolk County Health Department, Novak said. 

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.