Giraffe Killed After Hitting Its Head on Highway Bridge

A giraffe in South Africa being transported in an open-air truck bed on Pretoria‘s N1 highway died after hitting its head on an overpass. The two giraffes were being transported to a game farm in Warmbarths, about 100 miles outside of Johannesburg.

Multiple people driving behind the truck posted images on social media sites, like Twitter and Instagram, after seeing one of the giraffes hit its head on a bridge. The giraffe’s owner later confirmed to a local South African newspaper called The Citizen that the giraffe had died.

Look how low that bridge is and how tall the giraffes are. Who thought this one through? I wish I hadn’t seen this. pic.twitter.com/as2jJkIwpv

— Pabi Moloi (@PabiMoloi) July 31, 2014

This is such a sad story. Why the driver thought this open-air truck was a good idea and didn’t slow down while driving under low bridges is a mystery. Hopefully the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) will help press charges against the driver. There’s no doubt that this giraffe‘s death could have been avoided.