A zoo in Tennessee has become the only place on earth where a spotless giraffe can be found, after the baby was delivered there at the end of July.
The unnamed baby was born on July 31 at The Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee and is the only known spotless giraffe in the world. Videos have recently surfaced of the baby being nurtured by her mother after being introduced to the public at Brights.
In a statement, the zoo, which is roughly 80 miles east of Knoxville, said, "Giraffe experts believe she is the only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet," via WSOC-TV.
Other spotless calves have been born before, however, none of them have been born with brown fur like the calf in Limestone. Instead, all previous spotless calves have been born with white fur.
The coloring of the new calf has baffled experts at the zoo, with zoo founder Tony Bright saying in a statement, "The international coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created a much-needed spotlight on giraffe conservation."
Bright went onto discuss how the birth of the one-of-a-kind calf could hopefully shine a spotlight on the dangers giraffe breeds are currently in.
"Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40 percent of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last 3 decades."
The new baby is a reticulated giraffe, a breed that has seen its population of 38,000 drop by half between 2008 and 2018, according to the zoo.
While the baby is currently without a name, the zoo are leaving it to the public to decide what the spotless giraffe is christened.
Four names have been put forth for the public to choose from as part of a poll. The choices are, via The Mail, Kipekee, meaning unique; Friyali, meaning extraordinary; Shakiri, meaning she is most beautiful; or Jamella, meaning one of great beauty.
All four names are a nod to Swahili, the language spoken in Eastern Africa where reticulated giraffes like this newborn spotless calf are originally from. The poll opens today (August 22) on the zoo's official Facebook page.
And don't worry about missing your opportunity at naming the only patternless giraffe in existence (and apparently the only brown furred one to ever exist) because the poll will run until Labor Day on September 4, giving you two solid weeks to cast your votes.
In a post on the zoo's Facebook page, they wrote, "This will run until Labor Day, September 4. On that day, we will tally up all the votes and announce her name.
"If you would like to get involved in helping giraffe in the wild please visit Save Giraffes Now , the more of us that support these organizations that do work in the wild the better. We want to ensure that future generations get the opportunity to see these wonderful animals in the future."
Despite only being a calf of a few weeks, the unnamed baby is already standing at over six feet tall. She continues to receive care from her mother as well as the staff from the Brights Zoo.
