Little Rock Zoo: Baby Gorilla Name Revealed on Today Show

Did you hear a new baby Western Lowland Gorilla was recently born at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas? Last Friday, the Today Show on NBC revealed the baby gorilla's name from the zoo in the Name the Baby contest and its gender. Viewers were given 4 different names to choose from and were asked to vote for their favorite.

About The Names

The names were inspired by Central Africa, where gorillas are native to the region and tied to the father's name Kivu.

• Ruzizi (ROO-zee-zee) – Named for the river that flows from Lake Kivu.
• Kizazi (Key-ZAH-see) – A word that means "generation" in Swahili.
• Beni (BEN-e) –The name of a territory in the north Kivu province that's close to Lake Kivu.
• Buzibu (Boo-ZEE-boo) – This name is of a small hamlet in the Congo-Kinshasa region.

The winning name people chose to share with the world was Beni and it was a boy!

Baby Beni is doing just fine along with the mother Adelina who hasn't let her baby out of her sight yet, she is very protective as most gorillas are at this stage. Meanwhile, Papa Kivu is keeping a lookout for Beni and Mama from a distance. As long as Beni doesn't start talking like Caesar for those who have seen the Planet of the Apes movies, I'm happy!

How to Help For The Care of The Gorillas

You can support Beni and Adelina’s care by donating to their Amazon Wishlist and Baby Registry through Otto Environmental. Also, find out about how you could help other programs like Gorillas on the Line.

Plan a spring or summer trip to the Little Rock Zoo to see Beni by visiting their website here.

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