LA Zoo giraffe dies after giving birth to stillborn calf

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Zoo announced Tuesday that a 12-year-old Masai giraffe died hours after the breech birth of her stillborn calf.

The mother, named Hasina, had to undergo several hours of surgery when the zoo determined a natural birth wasn't going to be possible.

The zoo says Hasina died Monday night after a team of 30 zoo staffers removed the full-term stillborn calf in a five-hour procedure that morning.

"The Zoo is devastated at the loss of Hasina and her calf," said Dr. Dominique Keller, chief veterinarian and director of animal health and wellness at the L.A. Zoo.

"Hasina was a healthy giraffe in her prime, so we were hopeful that she would survive," Keller said. "There were many complicating factors at work in this procedure such as the difficult position of the breech calf and the length of time under anesthesia. Following the procedure, Hasina was standing on her own, which is a positive sign, but in the end she may have been too weak from the experience."

Hasina had given birth to five calves prior to the stillborn.

The zoo says she will be dearly missed. Hasina came to the zoo from San Diego in 2010.

City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.