It’s easy to spot the difference. A baby giraffe born and on view in a private Tennessee zoo is garnering global attention for its solid brown color devoid of the characteristic camouflage patches.
The reticulated giraffe is one of the four distinct species of giraffe, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), a group that works to save giraffes in the wild. In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature added it to a list of threatened species.
Stephanie Fennessy, executive director of the GCF, said the group had “never seen a similar giraffe in the wild in Africa.”
“Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40 percent of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last 3 decades,” Tony Bright, the founder of Brights Zoo, said in a statement, adding that the zoo was working to help the giraffe population through a breeding program.
The long-necked animals have spots that work primarily as camouflage, experts say. Each patch contains a system of blood vessels underneath it that helps them release and regulate body heat.
The zoo has shortlisted four names for the newborn and will open them to a vote on Tuesday. The four choices are: Kipekee (unique), Firyali (extraordinary), Shakiri (she is most beautiful) and Jamella (one of great beauty).
On the zoo’s Facebook page, hundreds of excited followers chimed in.
One commenter wrote that a class of second-graders read about the giraffe in school and voted for her to be named Jamella.
“Congratulations to this uniquely beautiful girl. Kipekee suits her perfectly,” another commented on the zoo’s post. Several others had their own suggestions for names.
The zoo is a family-owned facility in East Tennessee and is home to some rare and endangered animal species, including addax (white antelope) and Bactrian two-humped camels. Red kangaroos, spider monkeys and pandas are other exotic creatures housed in the zoo.
