Lexy Labrador, a 17-year-old from Climax, won the North Carolina Zoo’s Giraffe naming contest.
Her winning entry named the male Giraffe “Jitu” and the female “Asha.” The Zoo’s Giraffe keepers and other staff chose these names from more than 5,000 entries.
By winning the contest, Ms. Labrador earned the right to be the first person that will offer food to the Giraffes when the new
Acacia Station feeding platform opens to the public on June 6. She also won a year’s family membership to the N.C. Zoo Society and a gift basket filled with Zoo merchandise, including T-shirts, games and stuffed animals.
A plaque naming her as this contest winner and also bearing the winning entry names will be permanently installed at the giraffe exhibit.
In the this photo, the male Jitu is in the center, and the female Asha is on the right. The tall Giraffe to the left is Julie.
Ms. Labrador chose the names because “Jitu” means “giant” in the African dialect of Simwali, and “Asha” means “life.”
“I chose (Jitu) because giraffes are the giants among the lands,” Ms. Labrador said, “and Asha because, in my opinion, all new animals are a gift of life.”
Ms. Labrador attends Providence Grove High School in Climax.
