Denver Zoo Says Goodbye to Dikembe, North America’s Oldest Male Giraffe

Today we bid farewell to Dikembe, who at 24 years old was the oldest male giraffe in North America, and the longtime patriarch of the Zoo’s giraffe herd. He will be remembered fondly as gentle, charismatic and goofy, and for the tremendous contributions he made to his vulnerable species during his exceptionally long life. Dikembe wowed guests and helped connect them to his counterparts in Africa, and sired 17 offspring during his time at Denver Zoo, including Dobby, who celebrated his first birthday in February.

For the past several years, our animal care and veterinary medical teams treated Dikembe for a host of health issues, and made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him after he began showing signs that his quality of life had declined. We provide the highest standards of animal care for our more than 4,000 animals throughout all life stages, and make every effort to ensure that an animal’s last days are not its worst. We are confident Dikembe lived each of his 9,036 days in comfort and with the opportunities that allowed him to thrive at Denver Zoo.