The newest addition to the Smithsonian National Zoo’s western lowland gorilla family needs a name — and you can help pick it.
The zoo is running a poll online to choose whether the gorilla will be named Lola, Mkali, or Zahra.
Each name has a particular meaning.
- Lola is Yoruba for “greatness.”
- Mkali is Swahili for “fierce.”
- Zahra is Swahili for “beautiful flower.”
The poll closes at noon Friday. The results will be available that day after 4 p.m.
According to the zoo, the new baby was born May 27 sometime between midnight and 6:15 a.m. She’s the second child for 20-year-old mother, Calaya, and 31-year-old father, Baraka.
Western lowland gorillas are a critically endangered species. The zoo says the primary threats to their survival include disease, poaching, and habitat destruction due to farming and mining activities.
The new baby seems healthy and strong, so here’s to hoping she does King Kong proud.
Featured photo courtesy Becky Malinsky/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
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