A female giraffe took a bad fall at Zoo Miami on Sunday after trying to flee from the sexual advances of males in the same habitat, officials report.
As visitors watched, Kita fell into the gap between the feeding platform and the rockwork, Ron Magill, Zoo Miami's Communications and Media Relations Director, told HuffPost.
Magill explained that mating female giraffes release a large amount of hormones in their urine, luring males in the area to follow close behind.
The gents repeatedly approach a female from behind as they wait for her to "present herself for breeding," Magill said
"It is very common for a female giraffe to try to avoid the male’s advances while she is cycling," Magill said. "This is especially true during the first few days of her cycle as she is trying to gather as many males as possible so that she can select the one she wants to be with."
Kita may have been hesitant about getting pregnant again; she just gave birth to son Titian last June and gestation lasts 15 months for giraffes. See the adorable photos below.
But Magill says it's not entirely clear that Kita was rebuking sexual advances before she fell.
"It is hard to know for sure if yesterday’s incident was a result of the males pursuing her in a sexual way or them simply trying to jockey for position at the feeding station."
And despite concerns that the tall animal may have broken a leg, Magill believes Kita won't suffer any lasting effects.
"She is standing and walking in her holding pen with no adverse effects from yesterday’s fall. We have chosen to keep her off exhibit today to ensure that there are no lingering effects but we don’t anticipate any complications."
PHOTOS: Meet Kita's baby Titan, pictured below at just two weeks old:
