Adorable Baby Giraffe Has a Name: Watch Her First Days

ROYAL OAK, MI — The sweet-faced giraffe calf born last week at the Detroit Zoo has been named Zawadi, which means “gift” in Swahili, one of the languages of East Africa where reticulated giraffes are found in the wild.

Zawadi was born at 8:21 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 6, the second calf of her mother,7-year-old Kivuli, and her father, 8-year-old Jabari. She has a sibling, Mpenzi, 1.

Scott Carter, the zoo’s chief life sciences officer, called Zawadi “a wonderful new addition to the Detroit Zoo.”

Fans of the Detroit Zoo’s Facebook page approve of the name, which she shares with with a large adult lion at the Oregon Zoo, Samantha Helen Songer noted.

They also delighted in watching Zawadi with her mother and brother in a video the zoo staff posted. You can watch it here.

Cuteness Alert: Giraffe Calf Born at the Detroit Zoo [Video & Gallery]

• The yet-to-be named calf was born Aug. 6 to 7-year-old Kivuli following a 14-month gestation. The father is 8-year-old Jabari.

Image credit: Jennie Miller, Detroit Zoo