Yahoo – AFP,
31 July 2014
A giraffe at Kruger National Park in South Africa on June 21, 2010 (AFP Photo/Pierre-Philippe Marcou) |
Johannesburg
(AFP) - A young giraffe died Thursday from head injuries sustained while being
transported, blindfolded, in an open truck along a South African highway, an
animal welfare agency said.
Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)'s Rick Allan told AFP he suspected
the giraffe died after hitting its head against an overhead bridge.
The SPCA
has launched investigations and may lay criminal charges against those involved
in transporting the animals.
"Two
giraffes were being transported by road... one of the giraffes had an incident.
We are not quite sure what happened, but we got unconfirmed reports that it hit
its head on a bridge," he said.
A
veterinarian had determined that the giraffe, which he described as young,
"had died due to head injuries," he said. The second animal is alive
and well, he added.
It was
unclear where the animals were being moved from or where they were being taken
to, or if they were wild or belonged to a zoo, he said.
The
incident took place between the capital Pretoria and the commercial hub of
Johannesburg.
"Our
investigations so far showed that the transport used was inadequate and
incorrect," said Allan.
"There
are lots of projectiles flying around on the highway (and) especially leaving
an animal with its heard sticking out blindfolded, is looking for
problems."
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