BALTIMORE, MD – Starting this Friday, January 17, Maryland Zoo’s newest reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata), Kipepeo (or Kipi for short), will be visible to the public for the first time. Since arriving in late November, the three year-old female has not been visible to the public while she was in a standard quarantine period and adjusting to her new home.
The name, Kipepeo (key-PEH-pay-o), is the Swahili word for butterfly. It was chosen through a public naming contest by winner Elizabeth Buck. Anyone who donated $100 or more was entered to win naming rights. Proceeds from the contest directly support the Zoo’s animal care and wildlife conservation programs.
Until it gets warmer, Kipi will be viewable inside the Zoo’s Giraffe House from noon-2 pm each Friday through Monday. It will be easy to spot her in the herd. At 12 feet tall, she is smaller than the Zoo’s other female, Kesi, who is 14 feet tall and its male, Caesar, who has darker coloring and is just shy of 16 feet tall.
Kipi was transported to Maryland from another Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoo in a special trailer that accommodates her height. She was joined on the ride by two addra gazelle (Nanger dama), who are joining the rest of the antelope herd in the African Journey section of the Zoo.
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