Current:Home > reviewsSpotless giraffe seen in Namibia, weeks after one born at Tennessee zoo -CapitalCourse
Spotless giraffe seen in Namibia, weeks after one born at Tennessee zoo
View
Date:2025-04-15 07:21:36
A rare spotless giraffe was spotted in the wild mere weeks after one was born at a Tennessee zoo, a conservation organization announced in a press release Monday.
The Angolan giraffe was photographed on a private game reserve in central Namibia, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
In July, a spotless giraffe was born at Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, in what David Bright, the zoo's director, told "Good Morning America" was "definitely a shock."
MORE: American caver hoisted to safety after 12 days in Turkish cave
Following a naming contest, where the zoo asked the public to name the giraffe, the animal was named Kipekee, which means "unique" in Swahili. Bright said Kipekee is "doing well and growing."
"This is our first one without a pattern," said Bright, who has been the director at the private, family-run zoo for the last two decades.
A reticulated giraffe's spotted pattern typically develops in the womb, so giraffes are usually born with their spots clearly visible, according to Bright.
Giraffes are facing a "silent extinction," the Giraffe Conservation Foundation said in a press release, saying there are only 117,000 wild giraffes in Africa.
MORE: Rare giraffe born without spots gets 'unique' name
"That means that there is only one giraffe for every four African [elephants] remaining in the wild. [Giraffes] have already become extinct in at least seven African countries," the conservation organization said. "And, to make matters even worse for these iconic animals, we now know that there are four distinct species of giraffe in Africa."
Before the spotless giraffe in Namibia and at the zoo in Tennessee, the last recorded brown spotless giraffe was at a zoo in Japan in 1972, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
veryGood! (461)
Related
- Trump's 'stop
- Endangered sea turtle rehabilitated after rescue in Northern Wales, will return to the wild
- Biden approves Medal of Honor for Army helicopter pilot who rescued soldiers in a Vietnam firefight
- North Carolina State's Rakeim Ashford stretchered off field during game vs. UConn
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Powerball jackpot grows to $386 million after no winner Monday. See winning numbers for Aug. 30.
- Hurricane, shooting test DeSantis leadership as he trades the campaign trail for crisis management
- Greece: Firefighters rescue 25 migrants trapped in forest as massive wildfire approached
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- A million readers, two shoe companies and Shaq: How teen finally got shoes for size 23 feet
Ranking
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch People's Fund of Maui to aid wildfire victims
- Endangered sea turtle rehabilitated after rescue in Northern Wales, will return to the wild
- 'Tragic': Critically endangered Amur tiger dies in 'freak accident' at Colorado zoo
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- 2nd man charged in July shooting at massive Indiana block party that killed 1, injured 17
- UEFA Champions League draw: Group stage set for 2023-24 tournament
- This week on Sunday Morning: A Nation Divided? (September 3)
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Union sues over changes in teacher evaluations prompted by Texas takeover of Houston school district
Horoscopes Today, August 31, 2023
Maine wants to expand quarantine zones to stop tree-killing pests
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Smugglers are steering migrants into the remote Arizona desert, posing new Border Patrol challenges
Rising tensions between employers and employees have put the labor back in this year’s Labor Day
Trump-era rule change allowing the logging of old-growth forests violates laws, judge says