CHESTER Zoo has been swept with sadness following the death of its magnificent male giraffe Doto.
Doto was being treated for a virus after falling ill last week.
The zoo's veterinary and giraffe teams worked tirelessly to save the animal but their work was in vain and Dot died last night (Thursday).
The 15-year-old giraffe had been at Chester Zoo since June last year after arriving from Longleat.
A postmortem will be held to determine the cause of Doto's death.
The rest of the giraffe herd are well.
Tim Rowlands, curator of mammals, said: "Since his arrival Doto had proved to be a great addition to the herd so everyone is naturally very saddened by this turn of events.
"Doto had been treated with antibiotics over the last week but unfortunately all efforts to help him proved to be in vain. This is a very sad day for all concerned."
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