BERLIN (AP) — 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,…