Spotless arrival: Rare giraffe without coat pattern is born at Tennessee zoo

(AP)- A giraffe without spots at a Tennessee zoo may be plain, but she’s definitely not ordinary.

The female reticulated giraffe was born July 31 at the family-owned Brights Zoo in Limestone, a rural community in northeastern Tennessee.

David Bright, one of the zoo’s owners, said the plain brown animal is a rarity: Research found another giraffe that was born without a pattern in Tokyo in 1972 and two others before that. The spots serve as camouflage for giraffes in the wild.

The yet-unnamed baby is healthy and on display at the 103-acre zoo along with her mother, he said.

The zoo took the unusual step of posting about the giraffe on its Facebook page in an effort to help conservation efforts, Bright said.

“We generally do not post really any babies in the zoo but with this being such a unique situation, we knew that it would bring a lot of attention to giraffes, which would help us point people in the right direction of ‘hey, here’s how you can help giraffes in the wild,’” he said.

The number of animals in the wild have declined in recent decades, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. There were about 155,000 giraffes in Africa in the 1980s compared to about 117,000 today.

“We believe that giraffe numbers have dropped by about 30% in the last 30-35 years, however, we also see that conservation efforts are making a difference,” foundation Director Stephanie Fennessy said in a statement.

Along with asking the public to help pick a name for the animal, the zoo is also asking people to consider donating to conservation efforts.

“We want to ensure that future generations get the opportunity to see these wonderful animals in the future,” the post reads.

Proposed names for the baby include Kipekee, which means unique; Firali, which means unusual; Shakiri, which means most beautiful; or Jamella, which means great beauty. Votes will be tallied on Sept. 4 and the new name announced.

Rogersville man arrested on arson charge

A joint investigation by special agent fire investigators with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Rogersville Police Department has resulted in an indictment in connection with a fire that occurred in 2020.

In July 2020, TBI agents joined the Rogersville Police Department in investigating a house fire that occurred in the 200 block of Hillcrest Street in Rogersville. Agents and investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set. The investigation revealed that Joseph W. Murphy II (DOB: 8/1/98) was responsible for starting the fire.

Last week, the Hawkins County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Murphy with one count of Arson. This morning, he was arrested and booked into the Hawkins County Jail on a $30,000 bond.

Summer Jam to return Friday

The Morristown and Parks and Recreation Department and the city of Morristown will continue its Summer Jam series on Friday, August 25.

Blue Mountain Saints will perform at Fulton-Hill Park, providing those in attendance a “summer night of blues.”

The free event will begin at 7 p.m. on the Great Lawn and will be paired with Floyd’s Snack Shack, P5 Sweets and Snowies of Lakeway.

Blue Mountain Saints consists of four musicians, from diverse backgrounds, playing originals and classic covers.

The band, from Bristol Tennessee, formed at the beginning of 2020. However, the pandemic halted their performances.

After a brief hiatus they returned to the stage to perform at Delta Blues BBQ in 2021. Since then the group has been performing all over East Tennessee.

The group recently performed at Mulligans Gaming Pub, Lake View Dock, Blue Circle and Quake Steak and Lube.

The group consists of Mark Mervis, who plays bass guitar, guitarist D.M. Doyle, lead guitarist and singer Joe Hoskins and drummer Jim Madigan.

Their original songs come from the pen of the late Jeff Blackburn, who was previously in a band with Mervis called Box Set.

Their original songs take inspiration from the 1970s taking blended parts of blues, country, folk, rock and bluegrass to make one unified sound.

For more information, call the parks and recreation office at 423-586-0260.