Voting opened Monday to pick from three choices to name the new baby orangutan.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Zoo is asking for help in naming one of its newest residents.
The zoo announced the arrival of the new orangutan on Feb. 20.
“IT’S A BOY! Orangutan mom Sirih gave birth to a healthy male baby this afternoon,” the zoo said in a social media post.
Voting opened Monday, April 7 to pick the name of the new baby orangutan.
There are three options:
- Edi, which means “handsome one”
- Lada, which means “pepper”
- Ketambe, the name of an area in Sumatra where one of the first orangutan research sites is located
Voting is open now through Monday, April 14.
In a social media post shortly after the birth, the zoo said baby and mom were “doing great” and that the zoo’s animal care team was elated.
Zoo officials credited the success of the birth to a close collaboration with the Orangutan Species Survival Plan, a resource of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The baby made his public debut on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Sirih was seen holding her son on a sunny day at the zoo. He also got a chance to meet the rest of his family.
“We introduced them to his dad and his big sister, and those are the two who are out with him today, over the past few days, and it just went amazing,” said Olivia Claffey, the primates zookeeper at the zoo.
The Indianapolis Zoo is currently open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can save up to 50% when you purchase tickets online. Click here for ticket information.