A Tennessee zoo got a unique new addition last month, an extremely rare giraffe born fully brown in color and without spots. And now the zoo is taking a poll to decide on a name.
The reticulated giraffe calf, one of the four main species of giraffe, was born at Brights Zoo in Limestone, TN on July 31. Her birth marks the second known instance of spotless giraffe to be born in captivity, after a baby giraffe named Toshiko was born at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo in 1972. Stephanie Fennessy, executive director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), told the Washington Post that the organization had "never seen a similar giraffe in the wild in Africa."
Experts believe that the calf is likely the only solid-colored reticulated giraffe on the planet. The species was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2018, with just an estimated 16,000 still living in the wild.
From Aug. 22 through Sept. 4, the zoo is running a poll to decide on a name for the baby girl. But perhaps in an effort to avoid another "Boaty McBoatface" incident, the zoo is offering up four options that the public can choose from: Kipekee, meaning "unique," Firyali, meaning "unusual or extraordinary," Shakiri, meaning "she is most beautiful," and Jamella, meaning "one of great beauty."
The zoo is hoping that all the attention surrounding the baby giraffe will help to draw attention to conservation efforts.
“The international coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created a much-needed spotlight on giraffe conservation," Tony Bright, the founder of Brights Zoo said in a statement. "Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40 percent of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last three decades."
Typically, reticulated giraffes are known for having orange-brown patches outlined by bright white lines, which continue over their torsos and down the length of their legs.
