LOUISVILLE, Ky. - 15,000 names have been narrowed down to three and now it's time for you to vote for your favorite name for the Louisville Zoo's baby elephant.
- Rocket
- Fitz
- Walt
These are the names selected by elephant crew. Each of the names had multiple, duplicate submissions, so the zoo staff did a random drawing to see who would be eligible for the prize. Tatyana Malkin's 9-year-old daughter, Sofia asked her to turn in "Rocket" to go along with the recently named bongo "Groot." The names are from characters from the movie "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Kristin Hays submitted "Fitz" after her great-grandfather who loved elephants and passed his love of the animals on to her.
Taylor Barr from Meade County turned in "Walt" after Walt Disney.
The public can vote for their favorite name between now and October 20. Visitors to the zoo can drop coins or cash into the naming kiosk near the elephant area. You can also vote online by making a donation to support your favorite name. All proceeds from the naming contest go to support the Zoo's mission to “better the bond between people and our planet” through the care of animals, visitor experiences, and leadership in conservation education and action.
The person who submitted the winning name will be announced the week of October 21. The submitter of the winning name receives a prize basket from the Zoo and Norton Children's Hospital along with a gift certificate from Comfy Cow and a special behind the scenes tour to meet Mikki and her calf.
The calf was born Friday, August 2 to 33-year-old African elephant Mikki. You can see Mikki and the calf everyday from 10 a.m. to noon.