Officials at The Toronto Zoo have not been able to decide on a name for the zoo’s new rhino calf, so they’re turning to the public to help settle the dispute.
The calf, born on Feb. 17, is one of the zoo’s newest stars. He is often seen splashing around during bath time on the Twitter account belonging to The Toronto Zoo.
Three of the male calf’s primary caretakers have each come up with an idea for a name, but no one has been able to agree.
The zoo has announced that it will allow members of the public to vote on the three names to make the final decision.
The options are Nandu, Kaziranga and Vihaan.
Nandu means one who is always cheerful and happy, Vihaan means morning dawn while Kaziranga is the name of a national park in India that is home to more than half of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses.
“He is obviously a healthy baby boy and when people see him they instantly fall in love with him. You can’t help but smile when you see him,” the caretaker who wants the calf to be named Nandu told reporters on Wednesday.
The caretaker who is partial to the name Kaziranga told reporters that she hopes her name option will remind people that rhinos are critically endangered and “are in a lot of trouble” in the wild.
Currently, there are about 3,000 one-horned rhinoceroses left in the world.
The calf is the first offspring to parents Vishnu and Ashakiran, The Toronto Zoo’s adult rhinos.
All three zookeepers were involved in the breeding process and assisted its mother, Ashakiran, in her 16-month pregnancy.
The caretakers were also lucky enough to be on hand the night that the calf was born.
“It was a really special moment for me. I -- actually, of all of us --was the only one to watch him come out and hit the ground,” said the caretaker who wants to name the calf Kaziranga. “It happened very quickly. We weren’t ready. I walked back there and there he was. So for me, it was huge.”
People will have until May 19 to choose which name they think is best for the rhino calf by casting a vote on the zoo’s website.
