MADISON, Wis. -- The last giraffe at the Henry Vilas Zoo has died.

It is the second death of a giraffe at the zoo in less than a month.

Dane County and zoo officials on Thursday confirmed that their remaining reticulated giraffe has died. It was euthanized Tuesday, after officials said the animal severely ruptured its hip joint and could no longer stand.

The death of the 7-year-old giraffe -- named Raymond Junior, or "RJ" -- comes less than a month after his 12-year-old father Raymond was euthanized under similar circumstances when he could no longer stand.

RJ's 11-year-old mother Savannah died about three years ago after she apparently fell and broke her neck.

The entire family had a degenerative bone and joint disease, similar to arthritis, and zoo officials said that disease led to a massive rupture in RJ's hip joint and severe trauma to his muscles.

Workers said they found RJ on the ground Tuesday morning, trying to stand up but unable to.

"It is sad. We kept the log of his attempts beginning at 8:00 (a.m.) and he made about four or five attempts (to stand) in our presence, and we gave him something, of course, for pain, and we tried ... he was still eating; he loved to eat. He was still doing that during some of his attempts to get up," said Jim Hubing, director of the Henry Vilas Zoo.

A report by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine said a limb deformity, severe degenerative joint disease and multiple joint infections led to pain and a lack of movement, which predisposed RJ to trauma and the ligament rupture.

Hubing said that usually giraffes live for 18 or 19 years in the wild and that RJ died much younger than zoo staff expected.

Hubing called it a very sad day for the zoo and the community.