Less than a week after a young giraffe died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo his mother has also died.
Eleah, a 23-year-old giraffe, was found dead in a heating barn at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on Saturday.
Spokesperson Susan La Fresnaye said an necropsy will be conducted on Monday to determine the cause of death.
"The laboratory is closed until Monday morning, so our veterinarian did come, he did a preliminary post-mortem but unfortunately it's not enough to be able to determine the cause of death," she said.
Eleah's death comes less than a week after the death of her son, a three-year-old giraffe named Amryn.
Amryn, born in December 2007, was found on the ground inside his barn on Nov. 14. He was treated aggressively, officials said, but died shortly after. Results of Amryn's necropsy have not yet been disclosed.
Amryn's father Jafari is the only remaining giraffe at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove.