Singapore Zoo's baby giraffe named Jubilee

Singapore Zoo's first baby giraffe in 28 years has officially been named 'Jubilee' on Monday (Feb 22).

The male calf was born on Aug 31 last year to dad Growie and mum Roni.

Born 1.9m tall, Jubilee has since grown to 2.7m and is settling comfortably in Singapore Zoo's Wild Africa zone, where he lives with his parents.

He has also been dubbed the zoo's tallest 'SG50 baby' for being born in Singapore's jubilee year.

According to Abbott, 'Jubilee' emerged the public's favourite out of six shortlisted names in a contest held on Facebook over a five-week period from January to February.

The other names included: 'Growfie', 'Gamba', 'Gao Gao', 'Griffin' and 'Max'.

In addition, Jubilee has been adopted by Abbott GROW, a formula by healthcare company Abbott, which also adopted his father Growie 10 years ago.

Ms Isabel Cheng, Chief Marketing Officer, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said: "Giraffes may not be listed as an endangered species, but habitat destruction and fragmentation are threats to their populations."

Abbott also said that the calf has a very calm personality and has now started to venture out to explore and run around the exhibit.

Visitors to the Singapore Zoo are encouraged to take photos of Jubilee and upload them with the hashtag #sg50babygiraffe. They can also follow Jubilee's development and get updates on www.zoo.com.sg/sg50babygiraffe/.

minlee@sph.com.sg