After more than 25,000 votes in an online poll, the National Zoo’s newest western lowland gorilla has a name.
Great Ape House visitors at D.C.’s zoo can now say hello to baby girl Zahra and the rest of the gorilla troop each day at 11:30 a.m.
After a June 5 gender reveal party announced the baby gorilla, born May 27, as female, voting for its name commenced on the zoo’s website.
The name Zahra, which means “beautiful flower” in Swahili, received about 50% of the vote.
The two other name candidates were Lola, meaning “greatness” in Yoruba, and Mkali, meaning “fierce” in Swahili.
Zahra is the sixth western lowland gorilla at the National Zoo, joining her parents Baraka and Calaya (31 and 20 years old, respectively), their 5-year-old son Moke, as well as a 41-year-old female named Mandara and her 14-year-old daughter Kibibi.
The gorillas are considered critically endangered, with primary threats including disease, poaching and habitat destruction due to farming and mining activities in their habitat, according to the zoo.
