50th Gorilla Born at the Cincinnati Zoo Gets Name

Posted September 7, 2015

Elle, Oh Elle

Baby Elle
Baby Elle

CINCINNATI, OH (September 7, 2015) – A female gorilla born at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on August 25, 2015, will be called “Elle.”  Gorilla keepers suggested two names for the baby, the 50th born at the Zoo, and friends/followers voted for their favorite.  Elle grabbed two-thirds of the 2,500 votes.

“It is a very rare thing for any zoo to have 50 babies born and we wanted that to be recognized in the baby’s name,” said Ron Evans, Curator of Primates at the Cincinnati Zoo.

The letter L is the Roman numeral for 50. Elle, which is how the name will be spelled, means girl.  The keepers thought that was fitting, and voters agreed.  “Goldie,” suggested because gold is representative of 50, was the other choice.

Elle’s outdoor exhibit appearances are weather and health dependent.  If weather is warm enough, keepers will put her group out in the morning and the other gorilla group out in the afternoon.  Best chance to see her is at 10 a.m. Follow #CZBGBabyGorilla for updates.