Status: 27/08/2023, 12:07 p.m.
By: Sandra Barbara Furtner
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It hasn't been around for almost 50 years: In a zoo in Tennessee, a fawn baby giraffe saw the light of day. A name is now searched for via Facebook.
She is only a few weeks old, still a bit wobbly on her feet, has big googly eyes and a very unusual coat pattern. The little giraffe was born on July 31 without a typical net pattern. This is reported by the Brights Zoo in the US state of Tennessee in a press release. "A giraffe without spots is very rare," zoo director David Bright told AFP. Some giraffe experts even believe that it is the "only monochrome reticulated giraffe anywhere on the planet".
Spots are used for camouflage in the wild - in the wild it could not hide well
The mother giraffe touches her offspring, which was born without spots, in the Brights Zoo. © Tony Bright/dpa
The spotless calf has attracted a lot of international media attention. The zoo director hopes that this will encourage more people to support the conservation of the giraffe, with or without spots.
According to the zoo, the population of reticulated giraffes has been reduced by half from 2008 to 2018. The giraffe is therefore one of the endangered species. According to the World Conservation Organization, the main reasons for this are poaching and habitat loss.
On Facebook, you can vote on the name
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For the little giraffe baby, however, things are looking pretty good. Thanks to the caring care of the mother, as well as the keepers in the zoo, it thrives magnificently, according to a statement. Now it's time to search for a name. All fans can vote on the Brights Zoo Facebook page. There are four proposals to choose from in Swahili:
- Kipekee (means "unique")
- Firali ("Extraordinary")
- Shakiri ("The Most Beautiful")
- Jamella ("Great Beauty")