1996–2021 · A Plumpton Park legend

Jimmie the Giraffe

A Plumpton Park Zoo Legacy

For twenty-five years, Jimmie was the giraffe that visitors came to Rising Sun to see. When he died in 2021 at the age of 26½, he was the oldest living male giraffe in the world.

Meet Today’s Giraffes Jimmie’s Story

Close-up of Jimmie the giraffe in the barn at Plumpton Park Zoo

Arrived1996

FromPhoenix Zoo

At Plumpton Park25 years

Age26½

Jimmie’s story

Twenty-five years at Plumpton Park

From a young calf in 1996 to the oldest living male giraffe in the world.

Reticulated giraffeMaleFrom the Phoenix Zoo1996–2021

Jimmie came to Plumpton Park Zoo from the Phoenix Zoo as a young calf in 1996, and lived here for twenty-five years.

For most of a generation of visitors from Cecil County, northern Maryland and across the Delaware line, Jimmie was the zoo — the animal you came to see, the one children asked about by name before they were out of the car.

Front page news

A photograph from 2003

On August 27, 2003, Jimmie appeared on the front page of the Cecil Whig.

The photograph showed five-year-old Catherine Lacovara being held up to the fence by her father as she reached out to feed him.

At the time there was nothing particularly unusual about the moment. Catherine and her family were visiting Plumpton Park Zoo while staying nearby, and Jimmie was doing what generations of visitors remember him doing — leaning over the rail to meet a child.

The photograph became far more significant with time. The little girl feeding Jimmie would grow up to become a veterinarian — and eventually, Jimmie’s veterinarian.

For Catherine, the giraffe in that newspaper photograph became an animal whose health and care would one day be partly her responsibility. For Jimmie, the five-year-old visitor standing at his fence became one of the veterinarians caring for him as an elderly giraffe.

Cecil Whig front page from 27 August 2003 showing Nicholas Lacovara lifting his five-year-old daughter Catherine to feed a giraffe at Plumpton Park Zoo

Cecil Whig, August 27, 2003. Five-year-old Catherine Lacovara feeds Jimmie the giraffe at Plumpton Park Zoo while her father, Nicholas Lacovara, holds her up to the rail. Photograph by Adelma Gregory.

Jimmie the reticulated giraffe at Plumpton Park Zoo

Jimmie at Plumpton Park Zoo.

A purpose-built barn

A new home

When current management took over the zoo in 2010, Jimmie’s facilities were showing their age. What followed was a community fundraising effort that built the Edward C. Plumstead Giraffe Conservation Center — a purpose-built barn and yard that gave him room, warmth and the specialized footing an aging giraffe needs. He was later joined by Annabelle.

26½

years: Jimmie’s age when he died on November 11, 2021.

A record

The oldest of his kind

When Jimmie died on November 11, 2021, at the age of 26½, records identified him as the oldest living male giraffe in the world, and the sixth-oldest male giraffe on record. Male reticulated giraffes in human care typically live into their late teens; Jimmie outlived that expectation by close to a decade.

He was euthanized after a long battle with chronic hoof and leg problems that his veterinary team — who consulted internationally on his case — agreed could no longer be managed. “It was time to end the progression of his discomfort,” zoo operator Nick Lacovara said at the time.

Daily care

What his care meant

A giraffe reaching 26½ is not an accident. It reflects years of daily hoof care, diet management and veterinary attention from keepers who knew him as an individual rather than an exhibit. That standard is the same one applied to every animal here, roughly half of whom arrived because a previous owner could no longer look after them.

Among the veterinarians responsible for his care was Dr. Catherine Lacovara — the same Catherine photographed feeding him as a five-year-old on the front page of the Cecil Whig in 2003.

Jimmie the giraffe outdoors at Plumpton Park Zoo

Jimmie at Plumpton Park Zoo.

Coverage

In the news

Jimmie’s story was told well beyond Cecil County. When he entered hospice care in October 2021, the report was picked up nationally through CNN Newsource and ran in television markets as far away as Chicago and Oregon.

Support

Help care for Kazar, Jill, Asha & the animals of Plumpton Park

As a nonprofit zoo, Plumpton Park Zoo relies on admissions, memberships and the generosity of people who believe in what we do. Donations help support animal care, veterinary services, nutritious diets, enrichment, habitat improvements and the continued development of the zoo.

Support Our Animals

Plumpton Park Zoological Gardens, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations support the zoo’s charitable mission and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Questions

Frequently asked questions about Jimmie

How old was Jimmie the giraffe?

Jimmie was 26½ when he died on November 11, 2021. He was the oldest living male giraffe in the world and the sixth-oldest male giraffe on record.

Where did Jimmie come from?

Jimmie came to Plumpton Park Zoo from the Phoenix Zoo as a young calf in 1996 and lived here for twenty-five years.

Why did Jimmie die?

He was euthanized after a long battle with chronic hoof and leg problems that his veterinary team agreed could no longer be managed.

Who was the girl in the 2003 Cecil Whig photograph?

Five-year-old Catherine Lacovara, held up to the fence by her father as she fed Jimmie. She grew up to become a veterinarian, and one of Jimmie’s veterinarians.

Can I still see giraffes at Plumpton Park Zoo?

Yes. Three reticulated giraffes live at Plumpton Park Zoo today, among them Kazar, and you can feed them at the giraffe feeding station. See Hours and Tickets for times and admission.

Meet today’s giraffes at Plumpton Park Zoo

Today, three reticulated giraffes live at Plumpton Park Zoo, among them Kazar. They can be met at the giraffe feeding station, which runs at 12:00 noon on weekdays and 11:00am and 1:00pm on weekends (11:00am and 1:00pm daily in summer), weather permitting — see giraffe feeding. Plan a visit.

Hours & Tickets Meet Our Giraffes Giraffe Feeding