Zoo Miami has announced the sudden and tragic death of Emmy Lou, a giant eland described as a “very special animal” and an important contributor to the conservation of her species.
According to a statement posted by the zoo on Sept. 27, Animal Science personnel responded around noon on Thursday after receiving reports that a giant eland was in distress inside its habitat. Staff found the animal already deceased and transported her to the zoo’s Animal Hospital, where a necropsy was conducted.
The examination revealed that Emmy Lou had ingested a mass of hay that became lodged in her esophagus and was then aspirated into her lungs, leading to her death. Zoo officials called the incident a “freak accident” and noted that it was unpreventable without removing hay from her normal diet.
Born on Sept. 14, 2011, at White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Florida, Emmy Lou arrived at Zoo Miami in July 2013. During her time there, she gave birth to six calves—the most recent just weeks ago, on Sept. 8—and was also grandmother to eight calves born at the zoo.
Giant elands are the world’s largest antelope, with males often exceeding 2,000 pounds. Native to savannahs and woodlands in Central Africa, the species is considered vulnerable due to habitat loss and hunting. Zoo Miami is the only accredited U.S. zoo to exhibit giant elands, successfully producing 20 calves over the years.
In its statement, the zoo acknowledged that death is part of the natural cycle but emphasized the particularly painful nature of Emmy Lou’s loss. “The unexpected death of an animal due to an unpreventable freak accident is particularly painful,” the zoo wrote, adding that its staff is “exceptionally sad about this heartbreaking loss.”
