ESCONDIDO, Calif. — A baby giraffe was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Monday, the facility’s first calf of 2022.

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The calf, which has yet to be named, was born to first-time mother Zindzi, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said in a news release. Zoo officials said the calf is “walking and nursing normally,” KSWB-TV reported.

Zoo officials plan to conduct a closer examination of the calf “soon.”

Officials at the zoo tied the birth to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Betty White, an animal activist whose love of animals was well known. White, who died Dec. 31, 2021, would have turned 100 on Monday.

“A wildlife advocate, Betty White spent her life championing the cause of wildlife around the world,” the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said in a news release. “She worked with many conservation organizations, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, to shed light on the need to conserve wildlife.”

Several Twitter users suggested that the calf should be named Betty, KSWB reported.

“Please name it Betty regardless of gender,” one person tweeted.

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