A Spotless Giraffe Surprises Brights Zoo in Tennessee

Brights Zoo in East Tennessee has announced the birth of a spotless giraffe, the only one of its kind in the world. Now a month and a half old, the baby girl is six feet tall, healthy, and a very fetching tawny brown.

“The international coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created a much-needed spotlight on giraffe conservation,” zoo founder Tony Bright tells NBC affiliate WCYB. “Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40% of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last three decades.”

Reticulated giraffes (Giraffa reticulata) like the new arrival can grow to 15-19 feet tall and weigh up to 2,800 pounds. Normally a giraffe’s patterned coat is as unique as fingerprints are to humans, but no spots at all are apparently just as singular.

This happy birth is a polar opposite to the fate that befell Marius, a 2-year-old-giraffe in the Copenhagen Zoo who was put down for the crime of being too common: the zookeepers decided his genes were already well represented in Europe’s breeding program, so … so they butchered him and fed him to the lions at the orders of.

The new girl in Tennessee is expected to enjoy a much happier fate. The zoo will let the public christen the new giraffe in a naming contest, from a list of four choices: Kipekee (unique), Firyali (extraordinary), Shakiri (she is most beautiful), Jamella (one of great beauty).

Photo credit: Brights Zoo