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The birth of what is believed to be the world's only uniquely colored giraffe, free of spots, took place in Tennessee's Bright Zoo, making it one of the rarest sights in the animal kingdom. Although other spotless calves have been born previously, none of them had the brown coat of fur that the newborn calf has. Unlike the new six-foot-tall baby giraffe, the animals typically have a completely white body after birth.
The zoo is currently attracting interest from all over the world due to the animal's uniform brown color, without the recognizable camouflage patterns. When questioned on Monday, August 21, by news organisations including WION, zoo authorities stated that:
“Giraffe experts believe she is the only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet.”
While the spotless baby garnered widespead attention for its unique coat, the zoo declared that the public can now enter a contest to name the baby. The baby's names have already been narrowed down to four options—Jamella (which means "one of great beauty"), Firyali (which means "outstanding"), Shakiri (which means "she is most lovely"), and Kipekee (which means one of "unique beauty").
Once the video, uploaded by several netizens on X (formerly known as Twitter) became viral, social media users flocked to the comment section to express their surprise and name the creature, with one user joking that "someone just found a really tall dear."
Netizens are excited with the spotless baby giraffe
The female calf, that was born on July 31, 2023, lacks the recognizable pattern that these creatures, along with their remarkably long necks, are known for. Instead, the baby calf dons a consistent shade of brown. The baby is now being cared for by her mother and zoo professionals.
The mother of the newborn calf can be seen playing with her in a video of the animal. Given that these animals seldom give birth to babies with whitish texture, the zoo feels the creature is one-of-a-kind. The zoo also hoped that the animal will help raise awareness for the conservation of wild creatures, whose numbers have been declining recently.
Moreover, Brights Zoo stated that it hoped the unexpected birth of the creature would draw attention to the difficulties faced by these animals worldwide. Tony Bright, the founder of Brights Zoo, said to the local television news station WCYB that:
“The international coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created a much-needed spotlight on giraffe conservation. Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40% of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last three decades.”
Are these animals endangered species?
The World Animal Foundation claims that not all of these species are in danger of extinction. There are nine different subspecies of these animals, some of which are vulnerable and endangered.
These creatures are "vulnerable," which means they have a "high risk" of going extinct in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is the leading organisation for determining the level of endangerment of species.
However, it has been established that these animals are in grave danger. There are currently about 68,000 animals surviving in the wild after a 40 percent reduction in the population as a whole over the past 30 years. The remaining herds are dispersed and suffer many dangers, including habitat degradation and poaching.
