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NY zoo’s baby giraffe named Tajiri, Swahili for hope

NY zoo's baby giraffe named Tajiri, Swahili for hope | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - In this April 15, 2017, file photo, provided by Animal Adventure Park in Binghamton, N.Y., a giraffe named April licks her new calf. Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch announced Monday, May 1, on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the male calf has been named Tajiri, a Swahili word that means hope. (Animal Adventure Park via AP, File)

HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. – The baby giraffe born at an upstate New York zoo to internet star April has a name.

Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch announced Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the male calf born April 15 has been named Tajiri (tah-JEER’-ee), a Swahili word that means hope.

The name was the winning entry in the zoo’s online contest. The giraffe will be called “Taj” for short.

The zoo’s live stream of April’s pregnancy was the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube’s history, with more than 232 million live views from late February through Taj’s birth. More than 1.2 million viewers were watching when April gave birth.

The contest to name the calf charged $1 per vote. The proceeds will be split among zoo upgrades, wild giraffe conservation and for children with unexpected medical expenses.

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Abbey Westbury

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