Spotless giraffe discovered on Namibian reserve after Tennessee newborn
A baby reticulated giraffe at a Tennessee zoo made international headlines last month when word got out that she was born without her spots. It was thought to be the only living giraffe in the world to hold the title — that is, until a wild spotless giraffe was spotted at a reserve in Africa.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation announced in a Monday news release that the spotless giraffe was found roaming around the Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, a private game reserve in Namibia. The foundation says the Angolan giraffe is the first ever spotless giraffe found in the wild.
“Before the discovery of the Namibian spotless Angolan giraffe, there were only two records of such [a] brown giraffe, both in zoos in Japan in 1972 and most recently in the USA,” the news release says.
Giraffes are born at 6 feet tall and with a unique set of spots, meaning no two giraffes have the same coat pattern. As for babies born without spots? Scientists aren’t quite sure.
Julian Fennessy, the foundation’s co-founder and director of conservation, said in the news release that “The lack of spots could be caused by genetic mutations or recessive genotype in one or more genes related to the pattern, but without detailed genetic analysis, these are mere speculations.”
Kipekee, which means “unique” in Swahili, is the spotless baby giraffe who was born on July 31 at Brights Zoo in Tennessee. She is a reticulated giraffe that is found in northern and northeastern Kenya, and possibly parts of southern Somalia and southern Ethiopia, according to the foundation.
The giraffe found in Namibia is an Angolan giraffe, which make up about half of Africa’s giraffe population, and are found in central Botswana and most parts of Namibia, with scattered populations throughout Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately, seven of the nine subspecies of giraffes are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, many of which are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation says there are approximately 117,000 giraffes in Africa, which means there’s only one giraffe for every four African elephants left in the wild.
Rare spotless giraffe born in a Tennessee zoo
PHOTO: Tony Bright/Brights Zoo via NPR
A female reticulated giraffe was born at Brights Zoo in northeastern Tennessee late last month — but unlike her mother she was born without any spots, a rarity.
Standing 14 to 15 feet tall, giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world. When mothers give birth, the calves are already 6 feet tall, and other than on especially rare occasions, they’re born covered from hoof to horn in brown spots. Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tenn., announced that it welcomed the birth of a reticulated giraffe without any spots on July 31, WJHL 11 News reported.
“Giraffe experts believe she is the only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet,” the zoo told WJHL.
The zoo’s director, David Bright, said zoo staff have been reaching out to zoo professionals across the country inquiring about how rare the giraffe could be. So far, zoo officials say the only record of a reticulated giraffe being born without spots was in Japan in the 1970s.
Pictures of the calf can be seen on the Brights Zoo Facebook page, standing next to her mother in stark contrast without her spots. The zoo is asking the public to help name the newborn by voting on one of four names available on the zoo’s Facebook page by Labor Day.
According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, there are only an estimated 16,000 reticulated giraffes left in the wild — a more than 50% drop from approximately 36,000 giraffes 35 years ago. There are approximately 117,000 giraffes across four species and nine subspecies, many of which are designated vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.
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