Naming 2 baby giraffes is a tall order for a Berlin zoo

BERLIN — Naming two baby giraffes turned out to be a tall order this summer for a Berlin zoo.

After the half-siblings were born on June 24 and Aug. 11 in the Tierpark, one of the city’s two zoos, officials turned to a school class and the 18-year-old daughter of the zoo director for inspiration.

The class shared the name of its mascot, a giraffe named Gisbert, which was shortened to “Berti” for the new bull. And the zoo director's teen daughter, Emily, is about 1.80 meter (5.91 feet) tall — roughly the same height as a newborn giraffe — so the female cub now shares her name.

The youngsters are endangered Rothschild’s giraffes, and they live with nine others — including their mothers and shared father — in the herd. And a 10th one is on the way: Giraffe cow Maude is pregnant and due in September.

Berti's and Emily's names were officially announced Thursday as two of the cows, 21-year-old Paula and 17-year-old Andrea, preened for the cameras with their long, blue tongues. The newborns remained in the background of the habitat, drinking from their mothers' udders and gamboling on the grass.

Rothschild’s giraffes are listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with fewer than 1,100 in the wild. Their territories in Kenya and Uganda are at risk due to illegal hunting and habitat destruction through the expansion of agriculture.

Berti could grow to be 5.80 meters (19 feet) tall and weigh 1.8 metric tons (3,968 lbs), while Emily might reach 4.50 meters (14.76 feet) and 1.2 metric tons (2,646 lbs). They could live up to 35 years in care — 10 years longer than if they lived in the wild.

Claudia Walther, the giraffe zookeeper, said Tierpark typically sees calves born every two years. This year “is really special” with the uptick in pregnancies.

“Three calves at once and then so close together, that’s really great,” she said.