The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is asking the public’s help to name a baby rhino. The new female calf was born on Feb. 24 to mom Linda and dad Stormy, said the zoo on Friday. She weighed approximately 80-90 pounds at birth. The zoo had another rhino birth this year and four in the last two years.
The public is asked to visit an online poll and rank the four names below that were chosen by the 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.
The public can vote, free of charge, until 4 p.m. April 24. Please click here to access the online poll.
The winning name will be announced May 4.
Photo via N.C. Zoo.
