29-Year-Old Topper the Giraffe Put to Sleep; At Zoo Since 1962

Topper, a 29-year-old Uganda giraffe, died Monday at the San Diego Zoo when his chronic foot problems prompted veterinarians to put him to sleep.

The death of Topper leaves Checkers, one of his two longtime mates, as the only Uganda giraffe at the zoo, although three Masai giraffes--a different subspecies--live in an adjoining enclosure.

Topper was brought to San Diego at the age of 2 in mid-October, 1962, after being caught in Kenya. With Checkers and another mate, Freckles, who died in 1984, the 18-foot-tall giraffe sired 21 children, many of whom have populated zoos throughout the world.

His son Blackjack was for years the Wild Animal Park’s breeding male giraffe. He died in 1987 at the age of 17.

Topper, who suffered from painful foot problems, on Monday afternoon was visited by several of his longtime keepers. He then was led into the giraffe barn, where veterinarians injected him with a lethal dose of a sedative. The giraffe collapsed onto hay bales, put in place to cushion his fall.

Topper will be cremated at the zoo after an autopsy.