Perth Zoo’s male giraffe calf born on October 7, 2019 has been named Inkosi.
 
The name is from the Zulu language, and means ‘the king’. It was chosen from more than 3,200 entries submitted on the Perth Zoo website in a public naming competition. There were over 2,000 unique entries from African languages representing the wild habitat of the giraffe.
 
Inkosi’s birth is the result of successful matchmaking. He is the second calf to be born to Perth Zoo’s breeding bull, ‘Armani’ and female ‘Kitoto’. The pair were introduced in 2016 after Kitoto was brought to Perth from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo to help diversify the genetics within the regional breeding program.
 
Wild giraffe have had a 40 per cent population decline over the last 30 years. When older, Inkosi, will play an important role for his species as part of the breeding program ensuring an insurance population against extinction.
 
Inkosi’s older sister, Kamili, recently left Perth Zoo for New Zealand as part of the co-ordinated program.
 
Comments attributed to Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
 
“I am delighted to announce the name of Perth Zoo’s new male giraffe calf is, Inkosi which means ‘the king’ in Zulu.
 
“The name was chosen from thousands submitted via a competition on Perth Zoo’s website, reflecting the community interest in this important birth.
 
“Inkosi is a fitting name for Perth’s new calf, in years to come he will reign over his own giraffe herd, hopefully siring many offspring.
 
“The birth of Inkosi is the result of careful matchmaking and collaboration between the regional zoos. With less than 80,000 wild giraffe roaming the Africa Plains, the birth of every calf is a reason to celebrate.  
 
“Perth Zoo visitation and social media audience increased substantially after Inkosi’s birth. A Zoo membership is a great way for locals to visit regularly and enjoy watching him grow up.”