Meet Zahra! Smithsonian’s National Zoo Name Infant Gorilla

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s (NZCBI) have announced a name for their 2 week old western lowland gorilla infant following a public vote to decide her name. The public vote campaign attracted 25,000 votes across the 5 days it was open.

She has been named Zahra which means “beautiful flower” in Swahili. This name beat out two others which were put before the public to make the final decision. It attracted over 50% of the total votes. Lola [LOH-la], a Yoruba word for “greatness,” came in second with 7,894 votes, or 30% of the total. In third place was Mkali [M-KAH-lee], Swahili for “fierce,” which received 5,563 votes, or 20% of the total. 

Zahra was welcomed to mother Calaya on May 27th 2023 at the NZCBI’s Washington DC Campus. The father of the infant is known as Baraka. The remainder of the troop include Zahra’s brother, 5-year-old Moke, as well as a 41-year-old female named Mandara and her 14-year-old daughter, Kibibi. 

Western lowland gorillas naturally occur in Central African forests. They are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Habitat loss, poaching and habitat destruction due to mining operations continue to threaten this species.