15-year Houstonian

Beloved Houston Zoo giraffe euthanized: Groundbreaking medical procedure unableto save Kiva

Kiva was a much-loved Houston Zoo resident.
Photo by Stephanie Adams/Houston Zoo
Kiva, left, enjoying bamboo with other members of his herd
Photo by Stephanie Adams/Houston Zoo
We'll miss you, Kiva.
Photo by Stephanie Adams/Houston Zoo

Kiva — a beloved Masai giraffe who lived at the Houston Zoo for 15 years — was euthanized early Thursday morning after a groundbreaking procedure was unable to restore his quality of life.

A father of 10, Kiva loved to interact with people, often times proving to be a real ham.

"It didn’t matter if you were a guest or a Zoo employee, Kiva was everyone’s friend,” Houston Zoo director Rick Barongi said in a statement. “His captivating personality won over everyone he met. There is hardly anyone at the Zoo who does not treasure fond memories of interacting with Kiva, an experience that usually included feeding him."

Kiva's happy life was largely taken away by degenerative arthritis involving his front hoof joints, a condition that made it hard for him to even put weight on his front right leg. Mark Haugland, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon from Conroe, led a determined effort to save Kiva.

The giraffe went through an operation last year that fused his left front hoof joint and put a block on his left foot to take the considerable extra weight that would be needed for Kiva to walk regularly.

“The block created a shoe for Kiva," Houston Zoo hoofed stock supervisor John Register said in a statement. "It’s a process that has been done with horses and cows but, as far as we know not previously with a giraffe."

The procedure seemed to work at first, but the block only lasted six weeks and after a similar operation on Kiva's right foot didn't reduce his pain, the Zoo officials made the decision to euthanize.

“Follow up x-rays indicated his condition was not improving," Reigster said. "He was in pain and he could not put weight on his front right leg. It was clear to the giraffe care team and his veterinarians that his quality of life was very poor with no prospect for improvement."

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income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family