A freak accident claimed the life of a baby giraffe Friday at the Nashville Zoo.

Hours after the announcing the calf's birth, the zoo was forced to share the heartbreaking news - the calf was dead.

"We are heartbroken to announce that Nasha's calf died shortly after our birth announcement earlier today after the calf was accidentally stepped on by her mother," the Nashville Zoo tweeted.

In a post on its website, the zoo explained the giraffe keepers noticed the calf was in "distress," but all attempts to save her life were in vain.

"An initial necropsy showed trauma to the neck but further testing will follow to determine if there were any underlying causes for the newborn's death," the statement reads.

Nasha had a difficult time giving birth, and a team of professionals stepped in to help. But, the zoo says her calf had appeared to be thriving in its first few hours of life.

"We are devastated over the loss of Nasha's calf," Nashville Zoo President and CEO Rick Schwartz said in the statement. "Our staff has worked tirelessly to make sure this calf was given the best possible care. We moved from fear of a stillborn to joy of revival to anguish."

The zoo says this was Nasha's first birth, and her keepers will be keeping an extra close eye on her for the next few days.