This past weekend, Auckland Zoo welcomed a brand new baby giraffe to its family. Kiraka, the mumma giraffe, gave birth to a 6-foot-tall, 60kg baby girl.
Kiraka’s fifth child is yet to be named. With details for a naming competition to be announced by Auckland Zoo sometime soon, we thought we’d get ahead of the herd and suggest some names for the new baby.
NOTE: These are just a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously (but we might submit a few if you guys like them!).
TEN NAMES FOR AUCKLAND ZOO’S NEW BABY GIRAFFE
Haroldina
Aotearoa’s most famous giraffe is Harold - the educator travelling the country in a caravan, teaching kids about the dos and don'ts of life. What better way to secure his legacy than naming the country’s newest giraffe after him?
Neckola
This will be the first of a few puns, so get ready! Giraffes have long necks and ‘Nicola’ is a lovely girl’s name, so we combined those facts for a fun name.
Zaidi
All of the giraffes at Auckland Zoo have Swahili names. A little bit selfishly, we found the language's translation for ‘More’ and added that as a suggestion. Unselfishly, 'more' brings up feelings of prosperity and hope, and we'd all like a bit more of that!
Long Limb Luna
‘Luna’ is the world’s most popular pet name and giraffes’ legs grow up to six feet. Those little factoids + the alliteration make this one a delightful name.
Talline
Pronounced like ‘Pauline’, this is one of the other punny names I was warning you about!
Mimosa
This one isn’t just a way to immortalise our love for the orange juice-based cocktail (though we do looooove them). Mimosa trees are a big part of Giraffe’s diets!
Indigo or Violet
If you’ve ever had the blessing of being able to feed the Giraffes at the zoo, you’ll know their tongues are purple-coloured! We thought that ‘Indigo’ or ‘Violet’ would make a better name than simply ‘Purple’.
Gigi
This one comes down to the simple fact that ‘Giraffe’ starts with ‘G’ - double that, and you’ve got yourself an adorable name for the new baby girl.
Charlotte
‘Charlotte’ is the most popular name for baby girls in New Zealand and we want Kiraka’s newest child to feel part of the Kiwi family.
Hasselhoof
We know that the new baby is going to be larger than life, just like the one and only David Hasselhoff!
We'll keep you updated on when Auckland Zoo officially announces the naming competition, but until then, get brainstorming!
