The Montgomery Zoo and Mann Wildlife Learning Museum on Tuesday announced the sudden passing of Connye, a beloved member of their giraffe herd.

The giraffe was born at the Montgomery Zoo on March 23, 2015.

A statement outlined that zookeepers noticed Connye in an unusual position in the early morning hours of Monday via the zoo’s web camera monitoring system.

The animal care and veterinarian teams were immediately mobilized to provide medical assistance. However, they were not able to stabilize her condition and she passed away shortly thereafter. Connye had not displayed any signs of illness in the days and weeks prior, according to the zoo.

Veterinarians at the State of Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ Thompson Bishop Sparks Diagnostic Laboratory will perform a necropsy (animal autopsy) in an attempt to determine the cause of death. Additional information will be made available to the public after the necropsy findings are received from the lab.

In an emotional Facebook post, a member of the Montgomery Zoo staff wrote that Connye “was near and dear to the hearts of our staff.”

The Montgomery Zoo is a department of the City of Montgomery.

Combined with the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum, the zoo is a 42-acre zoological facility, located minutes from downtown Montgomery, dedicated to animal conservation and education. Accredited by the Zoological Association of American, the zoo is home to approximately 400 animals from Africa, Asia, Australia, North America and South America. The Mann Wildlife Learning Museum spans 28,000 square feet and houses one of the Southeast’s largest collections of preserved North American wildlife and artifacts.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn