GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Ball Zoo is looking to name its two red panda cubs and needs your help.
The zoo is partnering with the local Refugee Education Center on a naming contest for the two cubs born in July.
The cubs are the second litter from Wyatt and Wasabi.
According to John Ball Zoo, members of the public can vote on names for the male and female cubs after making a donation of at least $1.
The naming contest is open now and runs through Sunday, November 19.
The zoo says it worked with the Refugee Education Center to choose the names for the cubs.
The name options for the male cub include:
• Dawa (Da-wa, Bhutanese), meaning “moon”
• Kancha (Can-cha, Nepali), meaning “youngest member of the family”
• Karma (Car-ma, Bhutanese), meaning “star”
Name options for the female cub include:
• Nima (Nee-ma, Bhutanese), meaning “sun”
• Kanchi (Can-chi, Nepali), meaning “youngest member of the family”
• Pema (Pee-ma, Bhutanese), meaning “lotus flower”
“We are so excited to get our community involved in the naming of our red panda cubs,” said Rhiannon Mulligan, education manager at John Ball Zoo. “These name options were carefully chosen alongside the Refugee Education Center to reflect the places and cultures where red pandas come from and to spread awareness of where we can continue having a positive impact on wildlife and wild places.”
John Ball Zoo says it will track votes and announce the names of the cubs when the contest concludes. Donations from the naming contest will go toward the zoo’s mission of preserving wildlife and wild places locally and around the world.
“Refugee Education Center is thrilled that the John Ball Zoo solicited potential names from our Bhutanese & Nepali refugee community who are from the Himalaya region where red pandas are originally found,” said Meg Derrer, executive director of the Refugee Education Center. “We can’t wait to find out what names are picked for these two adorable red panda cubs.”
According to John Ball Zoo, the red panda species’ global population has declined by 50% over the last two decades.
