News and Stories

Celebrate Zoo Babies, presented by Coldwell Banker West Shell

CINCINNATI, OH (May 2, 2014) – The Cincinnati Zoo’s four-day-old female giraffe now has a name.   After receiving more than 7,000 name suggestions via Facebook and Twitter, the Zoo’s giraffe keepers selected their top four names and left the final decision to the public.  More than 3,700 people selected their favorite name among the four finalists, “Nasha,” “Amaya,” “Akila,” and “Alia.”  Gaining nearly 32% of the votes, “Nasha” was selected as the official name of the baby giraffe, born April 28.  Nasha is the Maasai word for “one who comes with the rains.”  The day Nasha was born certainly came with plenty of rain, wind and storms.

Nasha, the healthy 154-pound baby giraffe, is spending time bonding with her mom, “Tessa” in their indoor stall at Giraffe Ridge.  Currently, Cincinnati Zoo visitors can view the family through windows.  Both Tessa and baby Nasha will be making their public debut, outdoors, in the coming weeks (weather pending).  Visit the Zoo this month during Zoo Babies, presented by Coldwell Banker West Shell, and see Nasha and the newest arrivals.

For the second time, staff at the Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) live-tweeted the calf’s birth, including photos and regular updates.  The Zoo will continue to share updates, photos and video of Nasha and her family via Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.