Choosing a name for one baby is hard. Imagine having to come up with seven.
Brookfield Zoo welcomed a litter of seven African painted dogs in January — two females and five males — and while six of the puppies have been given names, zoo staff are still debating what to call one of the boys.
They’ve narrowed the options down to four, and are leaving the final decision up to the public. Online voting is now open at CZS.org/NamePaintedDogPuppy through 5 p.m. on May 20.
Here’s what’s in the running:
• Kashyyyk (pronounced KA-sheek) — name of a planet in “Star Wars.”
• Shaki (pronounced shah-KEY) — means “shark” in Chewa, from the Bantu language in Zimbabwe, where African painted dogs are native.
• Taya (pronounced TA-yah) — means “jaws” in Swahili.
• Kwanza — means “first” in Swahili (he was the firstborn in the litter).
For reference, the pup’s sisters are named Roanne and Daisie while his brothers are Cesar, JP, Masikio, and Prospect.
The name that receives the most votes will be announced May 21.
Video of the puppies, filmed during a recent live chat, can be viewed on Brookfield Zoo’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]