The Little Rock Zoo announces the birth of a chimpanzee July 18 and a poll to name the new arrival.
The male was born to Mahale and the zoo is conducting an online poll on these names (results Aug. 3):
*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.
Said the Zoo:
This marks the second birth for Mahale, who gave birth to Kendi on August 29, 2015. 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. However, mom and baby have access to an indoor air conditioned area; they have the choice to venture outside or not.
The chimp’s birth is the result of efforts by the chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The SSP is an organization with members from other AZA accredited zoos that makes breeding and companionship recommendations for endangered animals.