SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

By Matt Hollingsworth

When David Bright, owner of Brights Zoo in Limestone, TN, saw his zoo’s newborn giraffe, his first reaction was shock—because this unique giraffe didn’t have spots. Immediately, he began calling friends in the zoo world to ask if anyone had seen anything like this before.

When they learned that no one had ever heard of a giraffe without spots, they began doing in-depth research and eventually learned that only three other such giraffes have ever been observed, the most recent having been born in 1972 at a zoo in Japan. This rare and beautiful animal may be the only currently living giraffe in the world without spots.

The zoo let people vote on Facebook to determine the calf’s name. The winner, after nearly 40,000 votes, was Kipekee which means “unique” in Swahili. The name was selected over Firyali, meaning “unusual” or “extraordinary;” Shakiri, meaning “she is most beautiful;” and Jamella, meaning, “one of great beauty.” Kipekee was chosen with 36% of the vote because it’s easiest for a child to say.

When asked what Kipekee is like, David Bright described her as “very laidback, curious about everything, checking everything out every day.” If you want to see this one-of-a-kind animal, their website gives the best times of the day for viewing her.

Bright is passionate about conservation, and his zoo raises money to protect species like giraffes. He encourages people to donate to the organization Save Giraffes Now.

Brights Zoo is a private, family-owned facility. Other animals living there include some rare and endangered species such as addax, bongo and scimitar-horned oryx, and Bactrian camels. The center also contains more common but exotic creatures like red kangaroos, spider monkeys, pandas, and zebras.