The North Carolina Zoo is enlisting the public’s help to name the new female baby rhino born at the Zoo on February 24.
The new calf was born to mom Linda and dad Stormy. She weighed approximately 80-90 pounds at birth and the mom and calf are doing well. This was the second rhino birth just this year at the Zoo, and fourth in the last two years.
The public is asked to visit the online poll and rank four names, in order of their favorites, chosen by the Zoo’s rhino zookeepers.
- Rubybelle (ru-bee-bell): name of a young female rhino rescued after her mother was poached in South Africa
- Etosha (ee-toe-sha): for Etosha National Park in Namibia where the Zoo has an anti-poaching conservation program.
- Jojo (joe-joe): one of the keepers of rhino Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Jojo and Sudan’s story was featured in the documentary movie “Kifaru” which showed at RiverRun International Film Festival in 2019.
- Kendi (ken-dee): African origin – means loved one in Swahili
Voting opens at 12 p.m. Fri., April 17 and closes at 4 p.m., Fri., April 24 (all EDT). The online poll can be accessed through the Zoo’s website at nczoo.org or through the Zoo’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There is no charge to select a name.
A special surprise guest will announce the winning name on May 4. We can’t tell you who it is, here’s a hint — while this baby rhino is a “second,” the special guest announcing the name is a “first.”