Assam zoo gets its first giraffe calf, citizens rush to name new inmate

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his happiness over the birth of a giraffe calf on platform ‘X’. He initiated a game of naming the calf by asking for suggestions. Some wanted to name her Maloti; another wanted that she should be named Apoorva while another believed Himanta is a befitting name. The calf’s roots are in Africa but she is an Assamese by birth.

The announcement was made on Sunday morningas the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden, widely known as Guwahati Zoo, welcomed the female calf.  “Happy to share that the Assam State Zoo has been blessed with a cute baby Giraffe just three days ago. Any suggestions for naming the new born?” Sarma had posted on X, formerly Twitter, and shared two photos of the calf. 

The netizens wasted no time in coming up with names. “If it’s a male then Bapukon, if it’s a female then Maloti is my suggestion,” a user wrote replying to Sarma’s post. Another user said, “Apoorva – it means rare in Sanskrit. Giraffes are rare in India. So, my suggestion is Apoorva.”

Yet another user wrote that ‘Himanta’ will be an apt name. “Himanta will be a good name. You are cute too, sir,” the user suggested. Some suggested that the calf should be named after the Man of the Match of Sunday’s cricket World Cup final. Divisional Forest Officer Ashwini Kumar, who is attached to the zoo, said everyone in the zoo was ecstatic considering that this is for the first time that a giraffe was born in the state. “It’s a healthy baby. Her mother is also fine,” Kumar told this newspaper.

The calf is the offspring of Vijay and Vijaya. Under an animal exchange programme, Vijay was brought from Mysore in 2019 and Vijaya from Patna in 2022. “It’s a great moment for all of us in the zoo,” Kumar added.

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