SINGAPORE - The Singapore Zoo's baby giraffe, born on Aug 31 last year, has been given the name Jubilee in a nod to Singapore's SG50 celebrations.

The male calf, who was 1.9m tall at birth, is the first giraffe calf born in the zoo in 28 years. His parents are dad Growie and mum Roni, who both arrived at the zoo in 2005.

His name was picked from a shortlist of six names which included Growfie, Gamba, Gao Gao, Griffin and Max, Abbott Singapore announced in a press release on Tuesday (Feb 23).

Jubilee has also been adopted by Abbott Grow, a growing-up milk formula owned by global healthcare company Abbott. It had also adopted Growie 10 years ago.

A naming contest was held by Abbott Grow on its Abbott Strong Mums Facebook page over five weeks from January to February.

Jubilee spent his first month with his mother, separated from the rest of the giraffe herd, before making his debut in the giraffe exhibit on Nov 12 last year.

He has grown to a height of 2.7m and has started to settle very comfortably and safely in the Wild Africa zone where he lives with his parents, the press release said.

It added that Jubilee has a calm personality and stays close to his mother most of the day, although he has recently started to venture out to explore the exhibit.

Visitors to the Singapore Zoo are encouraged to take photos of Jubilee and upload them with the hashtag #sg50babygiraffe. They can also follow his development and get updates on www.zoo.com.sg/sg50babygiraffe/.