About Town

Little Rock Zoo Wants Your Vote

Celebrating the recent birth of a male chimpanzee to chimp Mahale, the Little Rock Zoo wants you to help pick the name for the new baby.

Name choices, selected by keeper staff, include:
Jumoke – Swahili for “everyone loves the child”
Kgosi – a Setswana term for “king” or “chief.” The baby’s grandfather was named “King Richard”
Kibale – named after Kibale National Park in Uganda; this is similar to the baby’s mother, Mahale, who was named for Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania

Vote online at the Zoo website through midnight Sunday, Aug. 2. Visit www.LittleRockZoo.com/babychimp to vote. Results will be posted after noon on Monday, Aug. 3.

This birth marks the second one for Mahale, who gave birth to Kendi last year. While paternity tests have not been conducted, keepers suspect the likely father of the baby is Kijana, the alpha male chimpanzee of the group. The best opportunity to see the new baby and the chimp family is during the 1:30 p.m. scatter feed at the Great Ape exhibit every day. This chimp’s birth is the result of efforts by the chimpanzee Species Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The SSP is an organization with members from other AZA accredited zoos that makes breeding and companionship recommendations for endangered animals.

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