AssetID: 52975864
Headline: Spotless Giraffe, Thought To Be Only One In World, Born At Tennessee Zoo
Caption: A spotless giraffe has been born at a U.S. zoo, and it's thought to be the first of its kind. The unnamed baby was born on July 31 at Tennessee zoo with no spots, making it the only known living spotless giraffe. The Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, debuted the baby giraffe after finding out just how rare she was. 'Giraffe experts believe she is the only solid-coloured reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet,' the zoo - which is located about 80 miles east of Knoxville - said in a statement. While other spotless calves have been born before, none of them have had the new baby's brown coat of fur. Usually, spotless giraffes are born with a fully white body, unlike the new six-foot-tall Tennessee calf. The zoo has started showing the special new arrival to visitors, while she remains under the care of her mother. Experts have been unable to explain, however, why the baby giraffe is such a colour, according to zoo founder Tony Bright. 'The international coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created a much-needed spotlight on giraffe conservation,' Bright said in a statement. He hopes that, regardless of colour, the attraction of the new giraffe will make people pay attention to the peril many giraffe breeds are in. 'Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40 per cent of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last 3 decades.' Reticulated giraffes, which the new baby is, have seen their population of 38,000 dip in half from 2008 to 2018, according to the zoo. The baby remains without a name, something the Brights Zoo is hoping the public will help rectify. They've offered a poll that will allow fans to choose from four different names, with the most votes going to the most popular. Brights Zoo says the names are all a nod to Swahili, the language spoken in Eastern Africa where reticulated giraffes like this calf are originally from. The choices are Kipekee, meaning unique; Friyali, meaning extraordinary; Shakiri, meaning she is most beautiful; or Jamella, meaning one of great beauty.
Keywords: feature,photo feature,photo story,animal, animal story, spotless giraffe, no markings, Tennessee Zoo, odd, rare, quirky
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