The first giraffe calf to be born in Guwahati zoo was named “Parijat” on Saturday, with the name selected from hundreds of suggestions.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the name of the nearly two-month-old calf at the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden, known as the Guwahati zoo, here.

“We had received about 350 names for the giraffe calf. The name ‘Parijat’ was chosen through a lottery,” Sarma said.

The chief minister had called for suggestions through social media for naming the calf after it was born in the zoo last month. The female calf is the first giraffe to be born in the state zoo. It was born to two giraffes that were brought here from other zoos of the country under animal exchange programmes at different points of time.

Sarma, who also fed the calf during his visit, said it was doing well.