After the public chimed in, the three black-footed ferret kits at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, have finally received their names.
More than 6,700 votes later, the Smithsonian announced the names of the kits — one female and two males — in a statement on Tuesday.
The female kit received the name Aster, in honor of a purple flower, native to the American Prairie. She was named through a public vote on the zoo’s website.
Her brother, named Swifty in honor of the swift fox, was voted on by Smithsonian National Zoo members in an e-newsletter poll.
The second male kit is named Aspen, short for “quaking aspen,” another American prairie plant. His name was voted on by players of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s mobile game, Zoo Guardians.
SCBI carnivore keepers chose three potential names for each of the kits, each reflecting the black-footed ferrets’ significance as a North American species. The voting took place July 20 through July 25.
The kits were born on May 19 to 3-year-old mother Potpie and 1-year-old father Daly.
Next month, the kits will separate from their mother and undergo tests to see if they should stay in Front Royal, move to a different breeding facility or be prepared to be released into the wild.
