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Late Medford Boy's Name A Finalist For April The Giraffe's Baby Naming Contest

BOSTON (CBS) - The public is picking a name for a famous giraffe calf and he could be named in the memory of a local boy.

So many people were invested in April the giraffe's pregnancy, checking into the live web stream day after day until she finally gave birth.

april the giraffe birth
April the pregnant giraffe in February 2017. (Image credit Animal Adventure Park/YouTube)

Now a contest to name that giraffe is down to the top ten with a local name right in the mix.

Gio Maggiore was a Brooks School student in Medford. His mother is currently a teacher at Columbus School and the community is rallying behind the name Gio in honor of little boy who passed away earlier this month at age 6 from a congenital heart defect.

Gio Maggiore
Gio Maggiore. (Family photo)

Gio loved giraffes. He was one for Halloween and when he was a toddler his favorite pacifier had a giraffe on it.

April the giraffe baby
April the giraffe's calf. (WBZ-TV)

The timing of the calf's birth aligned with the time Gio's family was laying him to rest.

You can vote for the giraffe's name at aprilthegiraffe.com.  Each vote costs $1 and you need to vote a minimum of 5 times, so the Columbus School community is collecting money for votes for the name Gio.

The voting ends this Sunday, April 30.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kendall Buhl reports

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