Brights Zoo, a family-owned zoo in Tennessee, United States made headlines worldwide recently after a female reticulated giraffe was born without spots on 31 July, a very rare occurrence for the species.
In fact, according to AFP, it’s the only recorded spotless giraffe in the world, with research finding another giraffe that was born without a pattern in Tokyo in 1972 and 2 others before that.
Currently, the baby giraffe is yet to be named and is currently on display at the zoo along with her mother. Before you ask, yes, unlike her daughter, the mother giraffe has spots.
Given the publicity that the spotless giraffe has gotten, Brights Zoo is taking the opportunity to help raise awareness of the conservation efforts for the animal.
Hence, in a Facebook post yesterday (22 August), the zoo gave social media users worldwide to help pick a name for the baby giraffe, while at the same time promoting Save Giraffes Now, a non-profit organisation helping save giraffes in the wild.
In the Facebook post, Brights Zoo provided 4 names for the public to choose from, whereby on 4 September, the name with the most votes in the comments section will be the spotless giraffe’s name.
All 4 names are African names in honour of where the species came from. Here are the names and their respective meanings:
- Kipekee – Unique
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Firyali – Unusual or Extraordinary
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Shakiri – She is most beautiful
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Jamella – One of great beauty
So, what are you waiting for? Do get involved in the Facebook post’s comments section to help name the cute spotless baby giraffe!
