Rotterdam Zoo announces baby gorilla name

After letting people vote on the name of a newborn baby gorilla, the Rotterdam Zoo has announced the infant is called Ajabu. The name means "miracle" in Afrikaans.

Between the Afrikaans names Amadi, Ajabu and Anayo, the second name received almost half of all votes, according to the zoo's website. The zoo urged people to visit, as the gorilla baby can often be seen being cradled by its mother in their enclosure.

🥁 Het gorillajong heeft een naam… Van de drie Afrikaanse namen hebben jullie afgelopen week het meest gestemd op: Ajabu (wonder). Een mooie naam die bijna de helft van de stemmen kreeg. Heb je Ajabu al kunnen bewonderen? pic.twitter.com/pNkzISpfkJ

— Diergaarde Blijdorp (@RotterdamZoo) March 26, 2022

Ajabu was unexpectedly born to mother Aya and father Bokito on Feb. 11. All name choices began with the letter "A," since the zoo has a tradition of giving the baby a name with the same first letter as the mother's name.