Toronto Zoo Names Animals

The votes are in and the Toronto Zoo has now named its white lion cubs, African penguin chicks, and a babirusa piglet.
Toronto Zoo Names Animals
A young white lion in the Toronto Zoo on July 15, 2012. This lion, and two others, were among the animals named by online vote on Aug. 2, 2012. Other Toronto Zoo animals named include a babirusa piglet and two African penguin chicks. (Yue Pang/The Epoch Times)
8/1/2012
Updated:
10/1/2015
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TORONTO—White lions cubs, African penguin chicks, and a babirusa piglet from the Toronto Zoo received their names on Aug. 2.

From July 18 to 31, people across the Greater Toronto Area voted online for these names. Over 7,000 votes came in, said the zoo in a press release.

Visitors can now call the young animals the following, “in addition to calling them cute,” the release said.

  • The male white lion was named Fintan, meaning “little fair one.” The two lionesses are Lemon and Makali (braveness, daring).
  • The African penguin chicks, formerly known as “black band” and “blue band” after the colour of their identifying tags, are now called Chupa and Matata (troublemaker), respectively.
  • The female babirusa piglet is called Muna, “hope” in its Swahili origin and the name of an island in Indonesia.

“2012 has been an incredible year for cuteness,” said the release, citing other recent births such as a moose calf, a ring-tailed lemur, and Hudson the polar bear cub.

The Toronto Zoo is one of Canada’s largest zoos, housing more than 460 different species, according to its website. The animals represent many geographical regions around the world, including Africa, Australasia, and animals native to Canada.

For more information, visit www.torontozoo.com.

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