A very special baby arrived in Belfast last month and we at Ballymena Today are more than excited about their name.
Belfast Zoo welcomed a Rothschild’s giraffe calf on last month and it is a female.
Neja and Finn are the proud parents to the new giraffe is called “Ballymena”. Alyn Cairns who is the Zoo Curator reports ‘It is a tradition at Belfast Zoo, that any new giraffe calves born here are named after towns and villages in Northern Ireland, which begin with ‘Bally’. The keepers, who care for the giraffes, have been thinking of names throughout Neja’s pregnancy and have selected ‘Ballymena’. This will be shortened to ‘Mena’ which coincidentally means ‘love’ in German.”
To keep up to date with Ballymena and her life at Belfast Zoo by following them here, on Facebook.