RIP to Kimba, a Very Good Giraffe

The Cincinnati Zoo, home to celebrity hippo Fiona and erstwhile home to celebrity gorilla Harambe, has lost another special animal.

CNN reports that the zoo’s only male giraffe, a 12-year-old named Kimba, died this weekend after undergoing a hoof trim earlier this week. Kimba had reportedly been suffering from mobility issues for the last few months, and underwent the procedure on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the zoo says, he suffered from complications; zoo volunteers monitoring his progress saw him collapse early Sunday, and now he is in giraffe heaven.

The zoo put out a statement:

We’re so sad to have to announce that our beloved male giraffe Kimba passed away early this morning. The Zoo Volunteer Observer (ZVO) team has been monitoring the giraffe barn for weeks, watching female Cece for signs of labor, and called vets when they saw Kimba fall to the ground a little after 1 a.m.. He had a successful procedure last week to fix his hooves, but there were complications following the procedure. Please keep Kimba’s care team in your thoughts. They are devastated.

The Cincinnati Inquirer reports that Kimba arrived in Ohio in 2008, after a stint at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. He was beloved at both zoos, and leaves behind six giraffe offspring and legions of adoring fans. May the afterlife bless him with all the leaves and twigs his two foot-long heart desires.