First spotless giraffe in half a century born at a Tennessee zoo!
Limestone, Tennessee - A baby giraffe in southern Tennessee is making headlines because of its unique coat.
The three-week-old giraffe born at Bright's Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee is a very special animal – it's got no spots!
Bright's Zoo director David Bright described her as very rare. The animal known as a reticulated giraffe was born on July 31 and now stands six feet tall.
Bright said the female is "a beautiful solid brown." She doesn't have any of the species' distinctive patterns, which help them camouflage in the wild.
This brown baby is the first known giraffe born without any spots since 1972 in Japan, he said.
The zoo is asking for help naming their rare baby giraffe
The baby has yet to be named, and the zoo is asking the public to vote for one of four names.
The choices are Kipekee ("unique"), Friyali ("unusual" or "extraordinary"), Sharkiri ("she is most beautiful"), and Jamella ("one of great beauty"). The public has until September 4 to vote.
The calf "is thriving under the care of her attentive mother and the zoo's expert staff," Bright said in a statement, adding that he hoped the media attention would help bring awareness to the threats facing wild reticulated giraffes.
Tony Bright, the zoo's founder, said: "Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40% of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last three decades."
Cover photo: Screenshot/Facebook/Bright's Zoo