The death of a giraffe whose head struck a highway overpass outside Johannesburg this week will result in a prosecution for negligence. The giraffe, along with one companion (injured but not killed in the accident) was being transported in the back of a truck to a game farm in the town of Warmbaths when it reportedly struck its head on the Garsfontein Bridge. There was “lots of blood,” tweeted motorist Thinus Botha, who witnessed the accident, and the fact that the truck broke down soon after the incident meant that the animals did not receive medical attention until many hours later.
“It’s just so unnecessary,” said Rick Allen, animal welfare officer and head of the Pretoria area branch of Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. South African officials have said that the drivers of the truck will be prosecuted for their negligence.
#Giraffe – this is picture from @thinusb_ sparking so many questions. One of these animals later died. @ewnreporter pic.twitter.com/bedhpSKfyG
— Benita Levin (@benitalevin) July 31, 2014
