Belfast Zoo: new arrival is head and shoulders above the rest

Belfast Zoo has a new attraction - and the long and short of it all is that she's head and shoulders above all the rest ...

The baby giraffe which has two young siblings, was born just over a week ago - and is already creating a stir.

Siblings, Ballycarrie and Ballyarchie were born in January and July respectively.

Now, the zoo wants your help in coming up with a name for the newest of the Rothchild species.

It is tradition at Belfast Zoo that any new giraffe calves born are named after towns and villages that begin with Bally.

Keeping with tradition a shortlist of three names has been drawn up by the giraffe care team.

These are: Ballycassidy, Ballyshannon and Ballylinney.

The public are invited to comment on the zoo's Facebook post to vote for their favourite name out of the options Ballycassidy, Ballyshannon, Ballylinney.

Voting will close on Friday August 30th at 4pm. The new calf is currently on show and can be visited daily.

Zoo manager, Alyn Cairns, said: ” In 1988, we introduced Rothschild’s giraffes and have since rejoiced in the arrival of 39 baby giraffes.

"We are honoured to be involved in a European breeding initiative and cooperate with zoos globally. Our success in breeding plays a role in guaranteeing the existence of a secure population of this threatened subspecies”.