Baby giraffe born with no spots named by the public

Spotless giraffe and a spotted giraffeImage source, Brights Zoo
Image caption,

The spot-free giraffe born at the end of July is doing well and is being cared for at the zoo by her mum

A baby giraffe who was born without any spots has been named.

After asking the public to vote on a name, the rare giraffe will be called Kipekee - which means unique in Swahili.

Around 40,000 people from across the world voted to choose a name for the newborn.

The spotless giraffe was born at Brights Zoo, Tennessee, in the US and experts believe Kipekee could be the only giraffe on the planet with a solid colour and no spots.

Image source, Brights Zoo/ Facebook
Image caption,

This all-brown giraffe was born missing her spots, making her the only spotless giraffe on the planet, according to experts

There were four names to pick from, all with Swahili inspiration; Firali, Shakiri, Jamella and Kipekee which won.

Kipekee was born brown all over, which is rare, however giraffes with all white fur have been born before.

Giraffe experts believe she is the only solid-coloured reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet.

Brights Zoo

The calf was born to her spotted mother, who is a reticulated giraffe - which can be found across parts of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.

Reticulated giraffes have been listed as endangered since 2018, their main threat is habitat loss.

The rare spotless giraffe has gained a lot of media attention across the world and the zoo hopes to use this opportunity to raise awareness about giraffes' struggle for survival in the wild.

"We want to ensure that future generations get the opportunity to see these wonderful animals in the future," said Brights Zoo.