Two giraffe were being transported in a truck when one allegedly hit its head on a bridge.

JOHANNESBURG - The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on Thursday confirmed one of the giraffe which was transported on the highway in Centurion has died.

The SPCA's Rick Allan said, "All we can ascertain at this stage is severe head trauma. We are continuing our investigation with the view to possibly lay criminal charges against those responsible."

Eyewitnesses earlier said they saw one giraffe knock its head as the truck drove under a bridge.

The animals were then stuck at the back of a truck on the freeway.

This after the vehicle they were being transported in broke down.

Just a few kilometers down the highway, another truck carrying cattle also broke down when it lost a tyre.

Allan says SPCA officials are attending to the 400 cattle at the Lynnwood offramp in Pretoria.

The body says the animals have been stuck for over five hours.

Owner of the #giraffe that was killed after hitting head on bridge said animal craned his neck."We went through lots of other bridges" #citi

Carla Coetzee (@CarlaCoet) July 31, 2014



SO unnecessary RT " @ewnupdates: #SPCA: 1 of the #giraffe died due to head trauma. Story: http://t.co/2tlN0MYgUv http://t.co/Y7n3BpAoNh"

DJ Fresh (Big Dawg) (@DJFreshSA) July 31, 2014



How was the giraffe supposed to know to duck its head?! RT @ewnupdates The #SPCA says one of the #giraffe died http://t.co/Cni01Mh8AD

Terrible what happened to the #giraffe on the road today.You'd think they would view @galifianakisz as a warning http://t.co/2jhYO6gr1B