It’s official, in case you hadn’t heard. Fans of April the giraffe voted to let handler Allysa name the new calf. She and her fellow handler decided on Tajiri, the Swahili word for hope. The plan is to call him “Taj.”
The selection was explained in a video posted on the Animal Adventure Park Facebook page.
So … no plans here for any more giraffe stories … but I won’t promise.
Taj is a fitting nickname for a handsome guy. Much as i enjoy Harry Potter, poor little Denver Zoo’s Dobby, also a handsome guy, deserved a better name. So glad you have been checking on them– totally forgot they promised a naming contest. More giraffe posts beats much of the depressing/infuriating daily junk with which we are stuck, so no complaints from me! (baby giraffes sure grow quickly)
I plead guilty to becoming rather infatuated with giraffes. Certainly more than before I started looking in on April. And the baby giraffes are so adorable I can hardly stand it. Yes, I think a Swahili name is an excellent idea, and Taj sounds as elegant and exotic as giraffes actually are. But Dobby is still mighty cute too. I be tempted to go see him if there weren’t so much walking involved.
They look such placid animals, so I was surprised recently when watching a David Attenborough program and there were two male giraffes in a fight to the death. I admit I switched it off.
It’s hard to imagine and I’d much rather not, they appear such gentle beasts!
I saw the same fight. Fortunately they separated after a bit of knocking each other around. Both walked away, I’m happy to say.