The National Zoo wants input on what to call its baby western lowland gorilla; here’s how you can vote on a name this week.
Through a gender reveal party hosted Monday, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced that the baby born on May 27 is a girl.
The baby, born to parents Calaya (mother, 20 years old) and Baraka (father, 31 years old), seems “healthy and strong,” and Calaya’s parenting skills are “excellent,” zoo staff said in a news release.
The deadline to vote on the three potential names is Friday at midnight. Here are the options for baby names:
- Lola (LOH-lah) | Yoruba for “greatness”
- Mkali (M-KAH-lee) | Swahili for “fierce”
- Zahra (ZAH-rah) | Swahili for “beautiful flower”
The newborn also has a 5-year-old brother, Moke, at the zoo. Other gorillas in the zoo’s troop include 41-year-old Mandara and her 14-year-old daughter, Kibibi.
Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, with the biggest threats to the species survival being disease, poaching, and habitat destruction, according to the zoo.
You can vote for your favorite baby name on the zoo’s website.