COLUMBUS, Ohio — The baby mandrill born last month at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has a name!
After a month of waiting, the zoo announced that a donor and longtime supporter of the zoo had the opportunity to pick the name. The donor, who wished to remain anonymous chose “Izara,” which means star.
The zoo said the baby girl will also be called “Izzy” for short.
The inspiration for the name came after the donor looked at names in Swahili and noticed that Izara is close to Hasina, the baby’s mom.
Izara was welcomed into the world on June 6 by parents Hasina and Mosi.
Hasina and Izara will have access to the public-facing habitat but they may wish to stay behind the scenes at times.
The mandrill family welcomed a baby boy, Bernard, last October. Bernard and the new baby are half-siblings with Mosi as their father.
The zoo's Congo Expedition team said Hasina is a very attentive and picture-perfect first-time mom. They also reported that Bernard sneaks a peek at his new little sister whenever he can.
According to the zoo, baby mandrills sleep and eat often, and when the mom is ready, the baby will venture off on his own.
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