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Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that causes pain and stiffness, typically affects older people, but can strike at any age.

“He had been receiving medical treatments for several age-related conditions including heart disease, degenerative joint disease, and kidney disease,” the park said on Facebook.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites osteoarthritis as the most common type of arthritis; more than 32 million American adults have the degenerative joint disease.

The patients were seeking relief from degenerative joint disease, back pain and a rotator-cuff tear, the account said.

The zoo said Tuesday that Sam the giraffe was euthanized because of a degenerative joint disease that had progressed after several years of treatment.