Meet Kipekee: Spotless giraffe named

LIMESTONE, Tenn. — The giraffe that was born without spots now has a name.

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The Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, has announced that after weeks of online voting, the giraffe will now be known as Kipekee.

The name was announced Tuesday morning on “Today.”

Kipekee is Swahili for unique, a fitting name for a rare giraffe.

“For a lot of guests we talked to, that was the easiest name for a child to say,” zoo director David Bright told “Today.”

There were several names in the running: Kipekee; Firyali, meaning unusual or extraordinary; Shakiri, meaning “she is most beautiful;” and Jamella, or “one of great beauty.”

More than 40,000 votes were cast with Kipekee receiving about 16,000 to beat out Shakiri.

Kipekee is the only known solid-colored reticulated giraffe in the world and is already 6 feet tall at five weeks old, WCYB reported. Guests can see her at the Brights Zoo while she is cared for by both her mother and zoo staff.

Some visitors have traveled to the small Tennessee town from as far away as the United Kingdom to get a glimpse of Kipekee, WJHL reported.

The only other non-spotted giraffe was born in Tokyo in 1972, “Today” reported.

The spots not only provide camouflage in the wild, each spot has blood vessels under it, and along with extra large sweat glans, allow body heat to escape, according to the North Carolina Zoo. The characteristics of the spots are passed from mother to calf, including the shape and edges of each spot, leading some to believe that the patches also allow giraffes to recognize each other and their kinship.

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Spotless Giraffe This undated photo provided by Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tenn., shows a plain brown female reticulated giraffe that was born on July 31, 2023, at the family-owned zoo. David Bright, one of the zoo's owners, said the animal is a rarity: Research found another giraffe that was born without a pattern in Tokyo in 1972 and two others before that. The spots serve as camouflage for giraffes in the wild. (Tony Bright/Brights Zoo via AP) (Tony Bright/AP)