Gemina (giraffe) facts for kids
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Gemina (born July 16, 1986 – died January 9, 2008), pronounced Jeh-MEE-nah, was a tall Baringo giraffe. She lived at the Santa Barbara Zoo in Santa Barbara, California. Gemina became famous because her neck had a very unusual bend. It was bent almost 90 degrees between two of her neck bones, called vertebrae. This special bend was not there when she was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It first appeared when she was three years old.
Gemina's Early Life and Her Unique Neck
Gemina was born on July 16, 1986, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. When she was born, her neck looked completely normal. She moved to the Santa Barbara Zoo when she was about one year old.
Her unique neck bend started to show when she was three years old. At that age, some of her neck bones began to stick out. Over time, her neck became sharply bent. This type of neck bend had only been seen in a giraffe once before, way back in 1902!
Scientists took X-rays of Gemina's neck. They saw that some of her neck bones had grown together. However, scientists, animal experts (called zoologists), and animal doctors (called veterinarians) could not figure out why this happened. When Gemina was two years old, she had an accident where she tumbled over. But tests at the time showed no injuries, and there is no proof that this accident caused her neck to bend later.
Living with a Bent Neck
Even with her bent neck, Gemina lived a mostly normal life for a zoo giraffe. She did need a little extra help with eating. Her keepers noticed that her tongue was shorter than other giraffes' tongues. Also, she couldn't see as well to her sides as other giraffes could. Because of this, she had to be fed separately.
The zoo often shared Gemina's story as an inspiration. They said she was a great example for children who had disabilities. She even appeared on a TV show called Miracle Workers on ABC. On the show, she inspired a child who had a curved spine, a condition called scoliosis. When Gemina turned 21 in July 2007, children sang to her at her birthday party.
Despite her rare neck condition, Gemina lived to be quite old for a giraffe. She lived almost six years longer than the average giraffe.
Gemina's Final Years
In December 2007 and January 2008, Gemina started to get very old. She stopped eating, and her health began to get worse. Sadly, her keepers at the Santa Barbara Zoo made the difficult decision to help her pass away peacefully on January 9, 2008. This process is called animal euthanasia.
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