The Nile hippopotamus calf born recently at the Dehiwala National Zoological Gardens has been officially named “Momo”, following a public naming competition that drew close to 1,000 entries from children.
The name was announced at a ceremony at the zoo on 1 October, marking World Children’s Day.
A committee of zoo officials selected “Momo” from the entries submitted. Avandha Tamari, the young girl who proposed the winning name first, was presented with an award at the ceremony by Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, the Daily Mirror reported.
Who attended
The ceremony was attended by officials of the Ministry of Environment and the Department of National Zoological Gardens, including Director General R.C. Rajapaksa, Director of Operations Anoma Priyadarshani, Director of Administration Janaka Thushara Balasuriya, Director of Animal Health and Nutrition Dhammika Dassanayake, the veterinary surgeon in charge of the Dehiwala Zoo Dinuka Sonnadara, Deputy Director W.G.K.H. Samarasekara and Assistant Director Piyushiya Samanmali.
Zoo officials also credited animal management officers, keepers, veterinary surgeons and animal hospital staff for the calf’s care since birth.
The Department of National Zoological Gardens thanked the public for the response and invited families to visit the zoo to see the calf, which it says has already become a draw among younger visitors.
Context
The naming sits alongside the zoo’s other recent efforts to build public interest in individual animals, including the lion cubs put on public view earlier. Not every recent story from Dehiwala has been a happy one — a giraffe died at the zoo in August, and a sea lion underwent cancer surgery in September.
The ceremony was one of several World Children’s Day events marked on 1 October.
Neither outlet gives the calf’s date of birth, its sex, or the name of its parents.