Giraffe found dead two days after escaping truck bound for zoo in Thailand

Giraffe found dead two days after escaping truck bound for zoo in Thailand

An African giraffe was found dead on Thursday (January 30) just two days after it escaped from a truck bound for a zoo in Thailand.

The creature sparked chaos when it broke out of its cage which was loaded onto the back of lorry being driven to a zoo on Tuesday (January 28) evening.

Footage from a car on the opposite side of the road showed the enormous African giraffe galloping down the road as three motorcyclists follow behind.

The rider at the front clipped the giraffe's heals causing it to stumble, before it darted away into the dense jungle in Chachoengsao province at a round 6pm local time.

A second giraffe that escaped was shot with a tranquilliser and put back into the cart to be sent on its way to the zoo.

Wildlife workers searched throughout the night and yesterday (Jan 29) for the creature without success.

They feared it could disrupt the ecosystem, be attacked by Asian elephants not used to seeing giraffes or wander back onto roads.

However, the 20ft tall giraffe was found dead this afternoon close to the point it escaped.

It appeared to have fallen into the swamp and drowned.

The escaped giraffe was among 66 that landed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

But while they were being loaded into a fleet of 24 lorries, bungling workers are believed to have accidentally unfastened a lock on one of the cages.

Footage shows how one of the giraffes charged down a busy highway after getting loose while the truck, on its way to the zoo, waited in traffic in Chachoengsao province at around 6pm.

Police are wildlife officials descended on the area and shot a 13ft tall giraffe with a tranquiliser.

A third, larger giraffe, that was travelling in the same truck was quickly herded back into its cage.

However, the giraffe seen in the video escaped into deep woodland.

The province has vast areas of jungle that is home to hundreds of wild elephants.

Wildlife officer Phadet Laithong , from the 2nd Forest Conservation Office, said the giraffes were imported by Safari World Plc and being driven to a breeding centre in Prachinburi province.

The zoo's veterinary staff, officers and rescuers volunteers arrived and began searching for the creature.

The two recaptured giraffes have already sent to the zoo they were destined for.

The delivery truck driver Monthon Mongphetch, 53, said he believed the mistake occurred during the loading process at the airport.

He said: "We were in a convoy trucks delivering animals from the airport to the zoo but while we were stuck in the traffic, three giraffes escaped from my vehicle.

"After the giraffes jumped from the wagon and ran away I went to check the cage and found out that it had been insecurely locked from the airport." Pin Kewkacha, executive chairman of Safari World, said it was the first time something like this had happened in the more than 30 years he had been in the business.

He suspects a bolt on the door of the cage had been accidentally unlatched while the container was being transferred to the truck.