Current:Home > MarketsSpotless giraffe seen in Namibia, weeks after one born at Tennessee zoo -Infinite Edge Learning
Spotless giraffe seen in Namibia, weeks after one born at Tennessee zoo
Poinbank View
Date:2025-04-06 07:36:40
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! (2719)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Tesla ordered to pay $1.5 million over alleged hazardous waste violations in California
- Will the Moody Landfill Fire Ever Be Extinguished? The EPA Isn’t So Sure.
- Lawyers for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger seek change of trial venue, citing inflammatory publicity
- Trump's 'stop
- Bruce Springsteen Mourns Death of Mom Adele With Emotional Tribute
- After hospital shooting, New Hampshire lawmakers consider bills to restrict, expand access to guns
- It's the biggest weekend in men's college basketball: Here are the games you can't miss
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- How do you guard Iowa's Caitlin Clark? 'Doesn’t matter what you do – you’re wrong'
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton leaves Mercedes to join Ferrari in surprise team switch
- NASA tracked a stadium-size asteroid that passed by Earth but was not a threat: See a video
- Could Biden shut down the border now? What to know about the latest immigration debate
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Lawsuit says Tennessee hospital shouldn’t have discharged woman who died, police should have helped
- With opioid deaths soaring, Biden administration will widen access to methadone
- Massachusetts Senate approves gun bill aimed at ghost guns and assault weapons
Recommendation
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Carl Weathers, Rocky and The Mandalorian Star, Dead at 76
Kodiak bear cubs were found in Florida, thousands of miles away from their native home: 'Climbing on my car'
Avalanche forecasters try to curb deaths as skiers and snowmobilers flock to backcountry areas
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
The U.S. created an extraordinary number of jobs in January. Here's a deeper look
America's oldest living person is turning 116. Her hometown is throwing a birthday bash
Black tennis trailblazer William Moore's legacy lives on in Cape May more than 125 years later