Rare Spotless Giraffe Photographed in the Wild Weeks After Birth of Similar Calf at U.S. Zoo

And then there were two!

Following the July 31 birth of a spotless giraffe at Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee — then believed to be the only living non-patterned giraffe in the world — another of the rare creatures has been photographed in the wild in Namibia, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF). ).

A young Angolan giraffe without the animal’s distinctive pattern was recently photographed at a private game reserve, making it the first flawless giraffe recorded in Africa, according to a statement from the non-profit organization.

The arrival of a monochrome brown baby giraffe at Brights Zoo in early summer marked the world’s second immaculate giraffe record. The second was born at the Ueno Zoo in Japan in 1972.

Brights Zoo’s female reticulated giraffe, named Kipekee – which means “one of a kind” in Swahili – has attracted worldwide attention and curiosity.

“Giraffe experts believe [Kipekee] is the only monochrome reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet,” Bright told PEOPLE last month, adding that a giraffe’s lifespan is about 25 to 30 years.

A flawless baby Angolan giraffe photographed in Namibia with its mother.

Eckart Demasius and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation

While variations in color or changes in spotting or stripe patterns are not uncommon among different species, the exact cause of the non-spotting coat variation in these two giraffes is not clear.

“The lack of spots could be caused by genetic mutations or a recessive genotype in one or more genes associated with the specimen, but without detailed genetic analysis, these are only guesses,” Dr. Julian Fennessy, GCF co-founder and director of conservation, said in a statement .

“The GCF, together with our partner Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, has conducted the most detailed study of giraffe genetics in the wild, but it would be difficult to comment on the specifics of these two giraffes.”

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GCF hopes that interest in the two rare giraffes will encourage people to support giraffe conservation efforts at a critical time. “Giraffes are in trouble and if we don’t act now, our grandchildren may not be able to see any giraffes in the wild when they grow up,” said Stephanie Fennessy, executive director and co-founder of GCF.

Bright shared a similar urgency. “International coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created much-needed attention for giraffe conservation,” he told PEOPLE in early September. “Wild populations are sliding slowly towards extinction, with 40% of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last three decades.”

Bright said he believes Kipekee could help reverse the frightening trend.

“Look after her,” he said. “This is the best way for a zoo to get the word out about conservation. We all need to get involved in protecting wild giraffes. She has the ability to be a spokesperson for that.”

A flawless baby Angolan giraffe photographed in Namibia with its mother.

Eckart Demasius and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation

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Indeed, since her arrival, Kipekee has been drawing large crowds of animal lovers to the Tennessee Zoo. It was visited by a record number of people – more than 10,000. private zoo only during Labor Day weekend, according to Bright.

“Everybody wants to see this,” the zoo director told PEOPLE. “People from all over the world.”

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Bright recalled the birth of Kipekea and the surprising discovery that she did not look like the other giraffes in his zoo. “We immediately noticed that this baby was completely different from anything we had ever seen,” he said. – That was definitely a shock.

Zoo staff called other zoos and veterinarians at the University of Tennessee to ask if they had ever seen or heard of a flawless giraffe like Kipekea after a cub was born.

“Even old men in their 80s had never heard of this. So we knew it was pretty unique,” Bright said, adding that scientists plan to visit the zoo and take thermal images of the giraffe to learn more about its unique brown coat.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education