April The Giraffe Baby Name Contest: A Final Look At The Favorites Based On Animal Adventure Park FB Comments

Are you excited for the results of Animal Adventure Park’s April the giraffe baby name contest? As of this writing, voting has just ended, and results are due to be announced soon. But a look at the comments from AAP’s many followers suggests that there is one odds-on favorite to win it, though that’s based on social media comments alone and not the actual votes.

Although Animal Adventure Park’s latest Facebook post suggests that today is the day when April the giraffe’s baby will be named, the park clarified that the announcement will actually be made tomorrow, May 1. But with just four hours before the end of voting at the time that was posted, AAP invited Facebook users to chime in with their thoughts and share which of the 10 finalists they would be voting for, or have voted for.

So far, “Allysa’s Choice” appears to be the overwhelming favorite in the April the giraffe baby name contest, with a good majority of Facebook commenters believing that there’s no better person to name April’s calf than April’s keeper herself. Some Animal Adventure Park followers, however, believe it shouldn’t be up to Allysa Swilley alone, and that she should also get some help from Corey Dwyer, another prominent AAP employee who saw April through her pregnancy.

“Allysa Swilley, Zooligist [sic], Zookeeper, and pretty much Giraffe Mom to April, Oliver, and now Baby G, along with Corey have been there from the beginning. So my heart tells me that ‘Allysa’s Choice’ is my one and only perfect vote (s). I hope many of you will consider to allow Allysa (with Corey’s help) to choose the perfect name for Baby G. I know she will make us proud!!!!”

This shot is of baby and #AprilTheGiraffe outside for the first time. ? pic.twitter.com/EG6RWQyzga

— SueS ?? (@sues711) April 28, 2017

As reported yesterday by the Inquisitr, the name Gio has also been shaping up as a favorite to win the April the giraffe baby name contest. This is in honor of a 6-year-old boy from Medford, Massachusetts, named Gio Maggiore, who died of a heart condition on April 10, five days before April the giraffe gave birth.

Over the past few days, some Animal Adventure Park followers have suggested that Medford is pushing heavily to have Gio win the baby name contest. This has resulted in some arguably controversial comments, including one from a woman who believes the AAP Facebook community should counter the Gio movement with a concerted push for “Allysa’s Choice,” which would allow Allysa Swilley to make the baby name choice herself.

“Please remember just one thing. There is a campaign from a whole town to vote Gio. To overcome that name and compete with a mass vote for Gio, we MUST solidify and choose one name to vote on. We MUST come together and allow Allysa to name her baby.”

Parents trying to name April the giraffe's baby after late son, Gio, who died after battling congenital heart defect https://t.co/iK0Dojr0of pic.twitter.com/CVele9xK33

— ABC News (@ABC) April 29, 2017

In replies to the above woman’s comment, some users justified the apparent “no-to-Gio” movement and accused the Maggiore family of using Animal Adventure Park’s copyrighted content, and turning the young boy’s death into a “media circus.” Others expressed hope that Allysa, should her choice win, would name April’s calf Gio, out of respect to a young giraffe lover who had died at such a young age.

Even with “Allysa’s Choice” seemingly leading the way based on Animal Adventure Park Facebook activity, and the town of Medford supposedly united in voting for Gio Maggiore’s name in the April the giraffe baby name contest, some Facebook users continued to push their dark horse suggestions, and justify them in their comments. One apparent dark horse is Patches, which is a simple nod to AAP owner Jordan Patch and his family.

“I love Patches.
1st, because he’s the first giraffe born at Patch’s farm.
2nd, because he’s covered in beautiful ‘patches.’
3rd, because no matter where he goes to live his name will forever reflect on the Patch family’s generosity with sharing this experience with the world.
Thank you Jordan.”

Then again, not everyone is a fan of the name Patches, just like this commenter who had the following to say about the name and those who prefer it.

“Honestly, Patches!? Could we be more predictable and ridiculous than that?”

As reiterated by Animal Adventure Park earlier today, contributions to the April the giraffe baby name contest will go to a variety of causes and institutions, including giraffe conservation groups, the park’s own operations, and the Ava’s Little Heroes charity, which defrays the expenses of parents who have children with unexpected, and costly medical conditions.

[Featured Image by Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/AP Images]