This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

DENVER — Kazi, a 2-year-old giraffe who lived at the Denver Zoo, died Tuesday.

The zoo said Wednesday that Kazi died after he was castrated. The zoo said castration is a common procedure that decreases a male giraffe’s competitive, aggressive nature and allows males to peacefully live together.

The zoo said Dobby — another male giraffe at the zoo — had been castrated, and castrating Kazi would allow the two to coexist.

According to the zoo, the procedure was successful. However, Kazi started breathing abnormally as he was recovering from anesthesia and then stopped breathing entirely.

“The veterinary medical staff on-hand took immediate action and did everything in their power to resuscitate Kazi, including reintubating him and performing CPR, but to no avail,” the zoo said in a statement.

Kazi came to Denver from the Milwaukee Zoo in September to be a companion for Dobby.

The zoo said Kazi bonded with both staff and other giraffes.

“He was best described as a laid back, social animal who loved to engage with guests. Although his time at the Zoo was far too short, Kazi touched the many guests, staff members and volunteers who were lucky enough to be in his 10-foot-tall presence,” the zoo said in the statement.