Como Zoo welcomes a giraffe named Prince

courtesy Como Zoo

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Como Zoo, in St. Paul, has welcomed a new baby giraffe — and his name is Prince. Making his first appearance before the public today, Prince stands 6’6″ and weighs 160 pounds.

The giraffe was named by Gretchen and David Crary, who have been the most generous donors to the zoo on Give to the Max Day for the past three years. The timing of the news — on this year’s Give to the Max Day, an annual day on which Minnesotans are encouraged to donate to their favorite local nonprofits — is no coincidence, nor is the resemblance between the name of the giraffe and that of a certain music star.

The Crarys said, according to the zoo, that they chose the name “in memory of one of the greatest musicians, songwriters, producers and cultural icons of our time, Prince Rogers Nelson. Prince was a proud and generous Minnesotan. The incredible innovation and groundbreaking change that he brought to several music genres, as well as the music industry itself, will be forever inspiring and never forgotten.”

The calf’s parents are Daisy and Skeeter, and he was born on Nov. 10. If the giraffe had been a girl, says a zoo spokesperson, it would have been named Hope. Well, we can still have hope — but now we also have Prince.