Like a zigzag: a giraffe with a crooked neck was spotted in South Africa. Photo

In South Africa, a giraffe with a zigzag neck was spotted. What caused this curvature is still unknown.

A young giraffe from the Kruger National Park accidentally got into the camera lens. Researchers suggest that the animal may have suffered a broken neck or had a serious illness, LiveScience reports.

Travel blogger Lynn Scott took photos of the giraffe during a wildlife tour in South Africa and posted them on her Facebook page. "At the time, he was standing still and moving very little," the blogger said. Lynn also added that the ranger leading the tour "didn't seem too concerned" about the poor animal's lack of mobility.

Social media commentators suggested that the giraffe might have a broken neck. However, experts say there is not enough evidence to support this hypothesis.

"It is definitely a very twisted neck. However, without X-rays to confirm that the bone was broken, we would call the giraffe a severe torticollis," said Sarah Ferguson, a veterinarian and health coordinator at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, a non-governmental organization.

A torticollis is a deformity of the neck of congenital or acquired origin. It can result from sleeping in the wrong position, herniated discs, bone fractures, muscle contraction, and spinal cord infection.

Ferguson said she has seen examples of this condition in giraffes in zoos and in the wild in Zambia, Kenya and Uganda. However, the case in South Africa is the most severe of all.

There is evidence that wild giraffes have survived with broken necks in the past. For example, in 2015, wildlife photographers spotted an adult male giraffe with the same zigzagging neck in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. This individual broke his neck during a fight with a rival male.

However, it is inappropriate to assume that a fight with another giraffe is the cause of the deformed neck of the animal from South Africa. Judging by the available photographs, this individual is probably a very young giraffe and too young to reproduce and fight for territory and females.

Therefore, further research is needed to clarify this situation.

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