The management of the León Zoo (Zoo León), in Guanajuato, is in the eye of the storm. The death of Oldie, a 21-year-old reticulated giraffe, as well as at least 11 other animals, according to complaints from businessmen and local authorities, has cast doubt on the administration of this conservation space with allegations of negligence and lack of emergency protocols.
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According to a video released by the director of Zoo León, Diana Karen Casillas, Oldie died from “bronchoaspiration.” The official explained that the animal tried to reach a tree, but one of its legs got stuck, causing it to fall. Being an animal that weighed more than a ton, the maneuvers to get it back up were complicated. Casillas explained that after the incident, Oldie had ruminal regurgitation, a process in which the content of the rumen (a mixture of ingested food) caused the accidental passage of food or stomach contents into the trachea and lungs, which led to its death.
The incident happened this Sunday around 6:00 p.m. A visitor noticed that the giraffe was stuck and immediately reported the situation. Casillas stated that eight minutes passed before attention was given. However, when the responsible staff and veterinary team arrived at the scene, Oldie had already died.
It was also reported that on the day of the accident there was a power outage lasting approximately 20 minutes, which caused the electric fence to stop working during that time. Some versions mentioned that Oldie might have died due to an electric shock. The director of Zoo León dismissed these claims and explained that the fence operates through low-intensity pulses, as its sole purpose is only to deter animals from approaching the barrier. Oldie was classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Norma López Zúñiga, an independent councilor in the León City Council, has stated that the animal deaths recorded at Zoo León due to infrastructure failures are caused by negligence and lack of attention to previously identified problems. She also pointed out administrative omission, considering that in none of the cases have the alleged responsible parties been sanctioned.
“There have been countless cases where negligence was involved and, at the end of the day, I have not seen any administrative responsibility procedure initiated against anyone when there should be, and as long as they want to hide and cover for each other, it will be very difficult for the zoo to recover,” López expressed.
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After this case, the director acknowledged that, besides the power failure, it is necessary to review the action protocols, since moving a giraffe without proper measures can cause a risk of capture myopathy, a stress-related condition that can cause heart failure in large herbivores. Casillas defended her management and assured that Zoo León has protocols for this type of emergency and that they are conducting a diagnosis to determine what measures should be implemented to strengthen safety and animal welfare.
However, Zoo León has a history of neglecting animal welfare. In December 2025, a pack of dogs entered the area where 24 mouflon sheep were located, causing the death of all the specimens. According to information from Milenio, the list of deaths of different species in this conservation space has been increasing. In the last 30 days, the death of five other specimens has been reported, in addition to a male American bison, whose health status remains “reserved” after a fight with another member of its species was recorded. These deaths add to those of a puma, a Canadian wolf, a sea wolf, two spider monkeys, and Oldie, which occurred in the last three months, totaling 11 casualties.
This omission in reporting these deaths, according to documents that came to light, differs from the official version recently offered by Casillas, who assured that animal mortality had shown a sustained decrease during the first half of 2026 compared to the previous year.
Ismael Plascencia Núñez, president of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of the United Mexican States of the Bajío, has indicated that the frequency of these deaths is concerning. “Accidents can happen to anyone, but that it happens so often is also worrying […] Probably, an administrator and another person who really knows the entire operation of the zoo, care, and animals are needed,” he said in an interview with local media.