The Hattiesburg Zoo is heartbroken to share the news of the passing of its much beloved Reticulated Giraffe, Sue Ellen, who passed away on Monday, November 17th. At 25 years of age, Sue Ellen enjoyed a long and full life. The average life expectancy of a giraffe in a zoo environment is 25 - 26 years of age while a giraffe in the wild lives to be between 17 – 20 years of age.
While experiencing age-related health problems due to osteoarthritis for approximately a year, the Zoo shared her condition with the public in mid-October 2025. Throughout the entirety of her symptoms, Sue Ellen’s animal care and veterinary teams worked tirelessly to ease her pain and improve her quality of life through the administration of pain medications, joint supplements, hydrotherapy and adding softer habitat substrates. “Our team worked together to relieve Sue Ellen’s joint pain through a multitude of treatments to ensure that she was as comfortable as possible, but despite our best efforts we continued to see a decline in her health,” said Dr. Julia MacGregor, Zoo Veterinarian.
After extensive discussions and careful consideration, the animal care and veterinary teams made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Sue Ellen through humane euthanasia. Sue Ellen was surrounded by her keepers and those who loved and cared for her to ensure she received the best possible care throughout her life. Assisting Dr. MacGregor and the veterinary and animal care teams in the process were Dr. Kanyon McLean and staff from Global Wildlife Center and Dr. Kaylin McNulty, veterinary pathologist and professor at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine along with three pathology residents.
Sue Ellen’s care team noted her special love for children, describing times when they knew she didn’t feel well, but she would see a child on the feeding platform and head over to interact and accept a piece of lettuce or browse. As one of the Hattiesburg Zoo’s first two giraffes that arrived in May 2021, Sue Ellen will be deeply missed and will hold a very special place in the heart of every guest that had the opportunity to visit her.
The staff of the Hattiesburg Zoo knows that Sue Ellen has been a part of so many of its guests’ visits and memories and they mourn this loss with them. “We thank our guests for their words of support and compassion as our teams grieve the passing of this beloved member of the Hattiesburg Zoo family,” said Kristen Moore, Director of Wildlife.
Daily giraffe feedings may possibly operate differently for the next week or two as Alberta (Bertie) and Grace typically followed Sue Ellen’s lead in this interaction with guests. “We do not know if they will be standoffish while they grieve the loss of their herd mate,” said Moore. “We will need to be patient and give them time to settle into their new ‘normal.”
