LA Zoo Says #NameOurRoo

It's the first time naming rights have gone up for grabs among zoo fans.

If you were the kind of kid who named various stuffed animals "Fluffy Bunny 1" and "Fluffy Bunny 2" and Fluffy Bunny 19" -- whether the stuffed animals continued to indeed be bunnies or not — then you were totally the type of consistency-loving kid many of us were. 

Props.

But you may need to dip a bit deeper into the naming creativity well if you want to be chosen as the Official Namer of the Los Angeles Zoo's Baby Kangaroo. (We put that in capitals because it seems like something the person who does name the kangaroo should put on their résumé or business card.)

The Los Angeles Zoo is hosting its first-ever naming competition (updated: first in 20 years) through April 26. The to-be-named baby? A western gray kangaroo joey. How to do the naming? Call upon the Griffith Park animal park before the deadline, snap a pic of the joey, then post it at the naming contest site, or on a designated social media site, with the tag #nameourroo.

There is voting, yes. Oh, and you'll want to include the name you're suggesting, in addition to the photo.

So many paths to walk here — or, er, bounce here, kangaroo-style — when choosing a wee joey's name. You can ponder the baby's ability to jump, its pouch-early beginnings, the Land Down Under, or simply what name strikes you upon seeing the furry one in person. 

The prizes include a GoPro Hero4 Camera and a few zoo memberships. 

The Scene

Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.

Snack, with style, on the Rose Bowl field and support a great cause

LA says goodbye to the iconic Conga Room

There are a host of other babies about the LA Zoo at the moment, if/when you do go to snap your picture of the little kanga. Look for a baby howler monkey, a quintet of baby chimpanzees, baby hippo Rosie, and, so sweet, a baby piranha.

No joshing on the "so sweet" part. Who wouldn't want to see something that wondrous? And would naming a baby piranha be more challenging than naming a baby kangaroo? We think "fluffy" would definitely have to come into play for the piranha's name. Fluffy Baby? Certainly any piranha might preen with pride at being depicted as so cuddlesome and cute.

For the full details on the zoo's name-the-baby contest, hop this way, kangaroo buffs.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us