The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore recently welcomed the newest addition to its giraffe family, a 3-year-old named Kipepeo.
Maryland Zoo Senior Director of Communications Mike Evitts says that the community has been enthralled with “Kipi,” who has been in good spirits since joining the other giraffes.
One of the best parts of welcoming a new animal to the zoo is choosing its name, Evitts explains, as it’s a chance to bring the community into the process. In addition to garnering clever and funny ideas, a naming contest raises much-needed funds for conservation and general well-being.
“It cost $100 to enter a name, and it provided a valuable source of revenue used to support the animal’s care,” he says.
The care provided for the animals at the Maryland Zoo is extensive. Kipi and the other giraffes receive medical procedures like hoof treatments or injections, training to teach them behaviors like walking into their yard and all kinds of physical therapy.
The zoo also supports programs in the animals’ native habitats to help protect their brethren in the wild.
Kipepeo means “butterfly” in Swahili, and was entered by Elizabeth Buck, a Sparks resident who says that she chose the word because it ties back to volunteer work that she does at a nearby sanctuary.
“I have been a volunteer docent in the butterfly house at Ladew Topiary Gardens since 2017, so I looked up the Swahili translation for butterfly. Unfortunately, ‘kipepeo’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue in English, and I did consider how difficult it would be for kids to say,” Buck says. “Because of that, I came close to rejecting it as an option. But then I decided it could be shortened to Kipi, which would be easy to say and would go well with Kesi, the other female giraffe at the zoo.”
Evitts says Buck’s pick made choosing the winning name easy for the zoo.
“It helps that she was so thoughtful about it, and that the name really resonated with our keeper team,” he says.
Kipi will live inside the zoo’s giraffe house for the foreseeable future, until the weather is warm. Visitors can see her from noon to 2 p.m. Friday to Monday. She is the shortest of the zoo’s three giraffes. At about 12 feet tall, she stands 2 feet lower than her female counterpart and 4 feet lower than the enclosure’s male giraffe.
“I’m completely happy with the choice, Buck says. “It ties into my volunteering at Ladew’s butterfly house, and I do like the way Kesi and Kipi sound together.”
What matters most, of course, is if Kipi is happy. Evitts says there is no doubt to that end, either.
“When she got here, she literally ran off the truck,” he says. “She was pretty excited to be here.”
