COAL VALLEY, Ill — Editor's note: The video above aired Aug. 9, 2022.
A longtime fixture and fan favorite of Niabi Zoo passed away last month, according to a press release issued by the zoo on Tuesday.
Twiga, a 16-year-old female Southern Nubian giraffe, died on Jan. 3 from a "degenerative neurological disease of the brain and spinal cord."
Twiga came to Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley in 2007 from the Palm Beach Zoo in Florida at the age of one.
“Twiga was an extraordinary member of our zoo family, beloved by her keepers and our guests alike,” zoo director Lee Jackson said.
A zookeeper who cared for Twiga since she was a year old, Kristina Stump, said "she was always eager to interact with keepers for training sessions, and endeared herself to countless guests through her interactions with them at public feedings and through the creation of her artwork."
“As someone who has worked closely with her for 15 years, my hope is that her interactions with the people of the Quad Cities instilled in them a passion for giraffes that will benefit the conservation of the species, ensuring that her legacy will endure," Stump said in the release.
In a Facebook post from the zoo on Tuesday, the zoo also announced that a female Burchell's Zebra named Bella passed away at the end of 2022.
Bella was also 16 years old and she died from meningioma, a tumor on the brain or spinal cord.
The zoo said that "Bella was a sassy lady zebra that liked being near the keepers and her mini-donkey friends. She enjoyed warm, sunny days and would rest facing the sun on many warm days."
The zoo asked the public to keep the animals' care teams in their thoughts and to share any favorite memories or photos of the animals on their social media post.