NEWS - FLORIDA ZOO ASKS FOR HELP NAMING BABY GORILLA

Gulf Breeze Zoo asks for help naming baby gorilla

 The name that baby gorilla contest is on.

Zuri, Curious George and just plain Cute are among the dozens of names flowing into the The Breeze Zoo after zoo officials sent out a call to help name their new resident, a baby Western lowland gorilla.
The 5-pound bouncing baby boy was born on Jan. 23 and is the son of Rwanda, the 25-year-old mother, and Babuka, a 19-year-old male.
Kayte Wanko, zoo director, said name submissions are being accepted through Feb. 29. Zoo staff will vote and announce the name by March 15.
"He is the first baby gorilla to be born at the zoo," Wanko said. "We're raising him as close to gorilla as we can. We crawl around with him, sleep on the floor with him. A gorilla needs to be on its mother 24 hours a day."
Rwanda began to show signs of labor Sunday night. Twelve hours later, a cesarean section was performed.
The mother was unable to produce milk and displayed behavior that was potentially threatening to her offspring, which is not unusual for first-time and hand-reared mothers of all species. As a result, zoo staff are rotating mommy gorilla duties.
The work is paying off. The baby is robust and thriving. And, if all goes well, the wide-eyed, fuzzy-headed baby may be in his nursery, behind glass, where the public may see him on Saturday. Early afternoons will likely be the best viewing time, Wanko said.