Help Name The Baby Rhino At Cleveland Zoo

CLEVELAND, OH — Last week, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo welcomed a baby Eastern black rhino into the world. The female calf was born to its mom, Kibibbi, on Feb. 7. Now the Zoo is asking the public for help naming the animal.

Unlike other naming contests, which have invited the public to write-in their own names, the Zoo is providing three name possibilities: Nya, Dalia and Lulu. Guests at the Zoo can vote online by donating to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo through the Future for Wildlife Fund.

The Zoo said each of the three names has a special meaning and comes from the home region of Eastern black rhinos. Here is each name's meaning:

• Nya - meaning friend
• Dalia - meaning flower
• Lulu - meaning gem

The name that gets the most donations will be selected for the calf. Voting will end March 1. To vote for a name, click here.

The calf is doing well, the Zoo said in a news release. Kibibbi has been nursing its daughter and the two have been spending a lot of time together, developing a strong bond. The calf does not yet have a horn, but has a black spot indicating where the horn will eventually grow.

The new mom and baby will not be visible to the public for some time. Instead, to stimulate the bond between the two, they will remain out-of-sight and under constant care by the zoo's animal care team. Eventually, the rhinos will return to the Zoo's African Savannah destination.

The Zoo may have a second Eastern black rhino calf in the fall because Igne, a 24-year-old Eastern black rhino, is also pregnant and due in the fall.

Eastern black rhinos are critically endangered, the Zoo said. There are less than 750 of the creatures remaining in the wild, due primarily to poaching and habitat loss.

Photo from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo