April The Giraffe's Calf Has Been Named Tajiri, Swahili For Hope

HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — 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, 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.

The giraffe cam is back on, but it will not run 24/7.

The giraffe camera was taken down April 21, Animal Adventure Park announced Tuesday the camera would be up for viewers to watch once a week.

Every Tuesday from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. the camera in the giraffe's den will be live.

The reasons for the specific time frame, according to the Animal Adventure Park are:

1) Soon the giraffes are outside, and you will be watching an empty stall, but with our closing daily at 5 p.m. – you will have hours of enjoyment while they retire for the evening.
2) It allows us to capture the majority of our major fan bases (worldwide) at a relatively decent time in their daily routines.

The giraffe cam is brought to you by the Animal Adventure Park.

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