The baby giraffe born at Belfast Zoo (Image: Belfast Zoo/Facebook) The parents of a baby boy who passed away at just 13 days old have given their thanks as Belfast Zoo's new giraffe is named in his memory. The new Rothschild Giraffe at the zoo has been named BallyArchie following a landslide vote from over 6,000 members of the public on social media following a heartfelt appeal by grieiving parents Ben and Meghan Alexander. Their son Archie passed away on June 16 due to heart complications, two days after he had a special trip to the zoo to see the giraffes.
Read more: Grieving parents ask people to vote for name of Belfast Zoo's newest giraffe in memory of their baby son Read more: Glengormley mum opens up on baby’s numerous health issues after spending weeks in hospital Baby Archie with his parents Ben and Meghan visiting the giraffes at Belfast Zoo A Belfast Zoo spokesperson said: "We are delighted that our new Rothschild Giraffe will be named Ballyarchie. We traditionally name our giraffes after towns and villages in Northern Ireland, and this was reflected in the names proposed in the competition. "When we were contacted by Archie’s parents, we decided to break with tradition and include Ballyarchie to the list for voting.
The public’s response was incredible, and we received over six thousand votes for Ballyarchie." Speaking to Belfast Live , Meghan and Ben thanked everyone who looked after them and their baby boy during his short time in the world, along with eve.