Beloved giraffe Ozzie dies in fall at Las Vegas-area sanctuary. ‘No ordinary giraffe’

A beloved 10-year-old giraffe at a Nevada wildlife sanctuary has died after stumbling and falling overnight in his pen, Lion Habitat Ranch said.

Something startled Ozzie, causing him to fall in the quiet hours before dawn Friday, Aug. 2, at the sanctuary in Henderson, just outside Las Vegas, the ranch said in a Facebook post.

“Ozzie fought valiantly to rise, and our dedicated staff, owners, and veterinarians rallied around him,” the ranch said in the release. But he did not survive.

The reticulated giraffe was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Wichita, Kansas, the ranch said. He came to the Nevada sanctuary at 8 months of age when he was 8 feet tall and grew to be 17 feet tall.

“Ozzie was no ordinary giraffe. He possessed a gentle spirit that touched everyone he encountered,” the sanctuary said in the release.

The giraffe created abstract paintings in daily demonstrations, the habitat said.

“Ozzie was an artist, too — a creator of one-of-a-kind masterpieces,” the ranch said. “And as the tallest supervisor on our ranch, he watched over us all, his regal presence a comforting beacon.”

Lion Habitat Ranch remained closed Friday in Ozzie’s memory and reopened Saturday, Aug. 3.

Henderson is about a 15-mile drive southeast from downtown Las Vegas.

This story was originally published August 4, 2024 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Beloved giraffe Ozzie dies in fall at Las Vegas-area sanctuary. ‘No ordinary giraffe’."