TAMPA - Today is the final day to cast your vote to name the baby African elephant born at Lowry Park Zoo on Oct. 12. The choices include Jabali JAH-bah-lee, which means strong as a rock; Jasiri (JAH-see-ree), fearless; Kidogo (Key-doh-go), something small; Mojo (Mo-ja), one or first; or Tamani (Tah-mah-nee), hope. To vote on the name for this baby, log on to www.lowryparkzoo.com and click on Name the Baby Elephant Contest. At 2 months old, the baby weighs more than 240 pounds. The petite elephant enjoys sleeping, eating, digging in the dirt, playing in the hay that mom Ellie eats and meeting new people. According to Geoffrey Pettigrew, an elephant caretaker at the zoo, the calf is inquisitive, alert, bright and loves to learn how to do new things. Elephants are much like humans because the baby will grow up to be a mischievous toddler, an independent teenager and eventually will move on away from his mom. Here are some other cool facts about African elephants:
- Babies gain 1 pound each day.
- They can grow to weigh 10,000 pounds.
- They will have six sets of teeth in a lifetime.
- Male elephants will fight with each other.
- Any diseases a human gets an elephant can get as well.
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- Casey Siena, 10, who is in fifth grade at Longleaf Elementary School in New Port Richey, contributed to this report.