Stretch Your Creativity: Zoo Needs Help Naming Baby Giraffe

It’s a tall order.

The Detroit Zoo is asking its fans and followers to stick their necks out and offer name suggestions for its latest leggy arrival, a male reticulated giraffe born Sept. 30. Names can be submitted via the Zoo’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages now through Oct. 13.

The submissions will be narrowed to a list of five finalists and the community will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite.

“There aren’t any rules for names, but we’d like people to think about where the animal comes from,” said Scott Carter, the Zoo’s chief life sciences officer. “Many of our animals have names with some significance to their geographic region of origin.”

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), tallest of all land mammals, is native to the dry savannas of Africa. Five-year-old Kivuli – Swahili for “shadow” – is the calf’s mother. The father is 6-year-old Jabari, whose name is Swahili for “brave one.”

As temperatures drop, the calf will be kept inside the giraffe building to ensure his well-being but may be seen outdoors on warmer days. The building will remain closed to guests as the calf becomes acclimated to his surroundings. Visitors can check the Detroit Zoo’s website daily for updates.

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Kivuli and Calf, photo by Jennie Miller, Detroit Zoo