Hope, a giraffe calf, and her mother Sue Ellen in New Orleans (Jonathan Vogel/Audubon Nature Institute/AP)
A giraffe born at a southern US zoo has been given the name Hope due to its arrival amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The baby giraffe was born to a middle-aged mother named Sue Ellen on Monday at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, Louisiana, its president said in a statement.
The calf had been given a “fitting” name, Ron Forman said.
The young giraffe plays with her mother, Sue Ellen (Jonathan Vogel/Audubon Nature Institute/AP)
He said: “What name could be more fitting than ’Hope” in these challenging times?
“Hope is what has sustained our community through seemingly insurmountable crises in the past and what we must hold onto as we continue on in the coming days and weeks.
“May we all take comfort in the reminder that, even in the darkest of days, life continues, undaunted.”
The centre houses 13 giraffes, eight of which were born at the facility.
New Orleans joined Seattle and New York as early hot spots for Covid-19 in the US, with the death rate particularly high in the Mississippi city.
