Baby giraffe named Saba dies of a BROKEN NECK at Miami Zoo after 'becoming startled in the night and running into fence'

A baby giraffe has died at a Florida zoo after breaking its neck in a tragic accident on Friday night. 

Saba the giraffe was just three months old, when she was found dead by Zoo Miami staff on Saturday morning. 

'Because the event that led to this trauma happened overnight and was not personally observed, zoo officials can only speculate that something startled the animal and caused it to run into a fence, resulting in the fatal injury,' spokesperson Ron Magill said.  

A necropsy concluded that Saba, born on December 15 last year, had a broken neck.

'This has been a devastating loss, and all procedures are being carefully evaluated to help ensure the prevention of any similar incidents in the future,' Magill said on Tuesday.  

Saba the giraffe was just three months old, when she was found dead by Zoo Miami staff on Saturday morning

A necropsy concluded that Saba, born on December 15, died of a broken neck

Zoo officials believe something may have startled the animal and caused it to run into a fence, resulting in the fatal injury

Keepers are continuing to closely watch the other giraffes in the zoo's herd, but all have returned to their normal routines without incident, Magill added. 

'At birth, the calf stood a bit over 5 feet tall and weighed just over 120 pounds which is actually a bit on the smaller side for newborn giraffe' the zoo wrote in an Instagram post announcing Saba's birth. 

Giraffe have a pregnancy of approximately 15 months and the mother rarely, if ever, lies down while giving birth. The newborn falls 4-6 feet to the floor, the zoo explained. 

The zoo has seen the birth more 60 baby giraffes, including eight by Saba's mother alone.   

Zoo Miami also has provided funding through the Zoo Miami Conservation Fund to various organizations in support of giraffe conservation in the wild.

The status of the giraffe in the wild is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature due to significant reductions in their populations over the last several years. 

'At birth, the calf stood a bit over 5 feet tall and weighed just over 120 pounds which is actually a bit on the smaller side for newborn giraffe' the zoo wrote in an Instagram post announcing Saba's birth

The zoo has seen the birth more 60 baby giraffes, including eight by Saba's mother alone

Zoo spokesperson Ron Magill called Saba's death a 'devastating loss' 

There are around 579 captive giraffe at 103 zoos throughout North America, according to a recent Born Free report. 

Many of those giraffe live shorter lives than those in the wild, who live to a maximum of 40 years old, the report claims.  

A review of giraffes living in captivity in European zoos between 1962-2003 found 77 percent had died at less than 15 years of age, according to Born Free. 

In North American zoos, captive giraffe live 12.7 fewer years than their wild counterparts, who typically live up to about 21 years of age, the report added.