Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is remembering Laikipia (lah-KEY-pee-yah), a 19- year-old female giraffe. She passed away without human intervention early Monday morning. Her cause of death has not been identified, but she had a sudden decline over the past two days. Born at CMZoo in 2007, Laikipia is well known by Zoo members and giraffe fans.
“Life was on her terms, until the very end,” Kacie Meffley, giraffe manager at CMZoo, says. “It seemed to be a peaceful passing, and her herd mates were nearby. She was a big giraffe in stature and in presence, and she was gentle. She was ‘big love’ embodied, and she’ll be deeply missed by our herd and humans alike.”
Laikipia was tall for a female giraffe, and weighed around 2,000 pounds – almost the size of a bull giraffe. Kacie remembers literally feeling the dirt ground shake when Laikipia walked into a space. Laikipia’s confidence matched her size, and as one of the eldest and largest giraffe in the herd, she had the respect of the herd. She would often push to the front of any feeding opportunity or block a doorway if she decided she wasn’t on board with keepers’ plan to move the herd to another yard or stall.
“She knew her power, and she didn’t get rattled by anything,” Kacie says. “The little ones would watch her being curious about a new sight or sound, and they’d follow her lead to be curious instead of concerned.”
Although never a mother herself, she was often one of the first giraffe to welcome new giraffe and calves to the herd. With her calming presence, her role as a ‘nanny giraffe,’ helped countless giraffe settle into the CMZoo herd.
“She loved giraffe babies, people, and her care team,” Kacie says. “When she looked at you, her eyes were just so gentle and loving. Most giraffe don’t let our guests pet them, but we would see Laikipia putting her head right into a crowd of people and letting them pet her and love on her while they fed her lettuce. If you saw a giraffe with a group of guests at our Zoo, it was probably Laikipia, with her beautiful dark markings.”
Kacie says Laikipia also loved food. She was the first giraffe to greet her team in the mornings, and would be standing at their arrival point, ready for snacks. She had a signature ‘hurry up’ move if the snacks weren’t being delivered at her required pace.
“She had this endearing behavior of sticking her tongue out,” Kacie says. “That was her way of telling us to hurry up, and it usually worked.”
Laikipia was incredibly intelligent, and has participated in the Zoo’s innovative hoof care programs since she was five years old, when the program first began. That intelligence and training served her well, until late July when she showed her team she needed support beyond that cooperative care. Her team rallied experts from around the country, and Laikipia went under anesthesia to receive treatments for hoof and joint issues.
“This loss is especially hard on our staff, who went above and beyond for Laikipia,” Dave Ruhl, president and CEO, says. “Their commitment to her treatment and recovery was tireless and admirable. We’re grateful that Laikipia’s team got to see her exploring the new Giraffe Center with her herd last week, and we’ll be remembering her – and all that she taught us – when we open the new habitat in September.”
On Sunday, the afternoon before she passed, Laikipia participated in a hoof care check, as a follow-up to her procedure. All signs from that check-up indicated that Laikipia was healing well and on track with recovery.
“She trusted us, and knew she was in control, and that really shined during training sessions with her,” Kacie says. “Laikipia was a go-to giraffe for teaching other visiting teams how to train giraffe at our workshops. She would waltz into the training area, curl her hoof right up on the block and look around like, ‘who’s up and where are the rye crackers?’”
Laikipia will continue to teach her team, and the giraffe care profession. They’ll study her hoof anatomy and share their findings with giraffe care teams around the world.
About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s mountain Zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. In 2026, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #2 Best Zoo in North America and CMZoo’s Rocky Mountain Wild was named #2 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s goal to help guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Since 2008, CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program has raised more than $6 million dedicated to frontline conservation efforts around the world. Of the 237 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just a few operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues, special event attendance and donations for funding.