TYLER, Texas — A few weeks ago, the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler announced a contest on their Facebook page to find a name for their new baby giraffe. The winner of the contest would then able to meet the giraffe personally.
The zoo chose the name Xena June, and there's a special meaning behind it.
"Her room is giraffes and she has got I think every stuffed giraffe they have ever made," Caysi McDonald said.
McDonald's daughter, McKinley June loves giraffes. Her obsession for the animal all started at only 18-months-old.
"I took her to the Dallas Zoo and let her feed actually a baby giraffe up there. And that's all it took," McDonald said.
So when the zoo welcomed the baby giraffe, McDonald knew she had to show McKinley.
"Early on, we did a check up on our veterinary team came in, and she wasn't getting the antibodies that she should at that early age," Executive Director for the zoo, Hayes Caldwell, said.
The baby giraffe went through a rough period after being born. She ended up needing a blood plasma transfusion. While that worked for a day, the giraffe started to go downhill again, eventually needing a feeding tube.
"She wound up doing quite well and she's thriving now doing a great job," Caldwell said.
All the struggles endured by the baby giraffe is something McKinley understands. At 8-years-old, McKinley is non-verbal and non-mobile. She was born with a rare genetic condition — so rare it doesn't have a name yet.
"She's the oldest kiddo with it. So she's just kind of leading the way and teaching and all the research and good things like that," McDonald said.
When McDonald saw the zoo's post asking for submissions to name the baby giraffe, she submitted a post to the zoo, showing McKinley's love for the animal.
"One of the names that they really liked was Xena, which is a princess warrior which this little draft calf certainly was," Caldwell said. "But then they also saw a post. McKinley's mom, who suggested the name either McKinley or June and posted some photos of her coming to the zoo, during the zoo, and her wheelchair was draped in giraffe."
McKinley eventually got a chance to meet the giraffe, a moment McDonald says she won't soon forget.
"She got really excited and was squealing and kind of babbling and was just that was the highlight of her summer for sure," McDonald said. "I think the bottom line is, they're both fighters and they're both going to change the world for better."
If you would like to see the baby giraffe, the Caldwell Zoo is open everyday from 9 a.m to 3 p.m.