Two‑year‑old Kipekee, the bright giggling giraffe that made headlines after being born with no spots at Brights Zoo in Tennessee, died unexpectedly on Wednesday. The zoo’s Facebook post confirmed her passing and noted that, like other giraffes, she had a normal life expectancy of up to 25 years in the wild and even longer in captivity, according to National Geographic. While the unique, spotless pattern that earned her the name from the Swahili word for “unique” didn’t seem to be the cause of her early death, her spots normally help giraffes blend into their surroundings—something that isn’t needed in a zoo setting.
The zoo added, “A full necropsy will be performed to help us understand what happened,” underscoring their commitment to figuring out the cause. Kipekee quickly became a beloved figure for both staff and visitors; her photo with her mother in the enclosure and another shot from a WJHL‑TV reporter captured her inquisitive eyes and gentle nature.
Brights Zoo had been a hive of activity after Kipekee’s birth in 2023. Within weeks the park had to construct an additional parking lot to accommodate the influx of fans. Kipekee, who many called “the first spotless giraffe since 1972’s Toshiko in Tokyo,” had been surprised by the discovery of a second spotless giraffe in Namibia only months later. Her passing left thousands of comments praising her beauty and sharing videos of the brief moments when visitors could see the gentle creature up close.
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