Wanted: one perfectly pleasing penguin name

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/GEORGE HEYMANN This Pueblo Zoo penguin chick needs a name.

Posted: Thursday, July 15, 2010

By AMY MATTHEW

"It" is a lousy name, especially for a ball of fluff as adorable as this one.
The Pueblo Zoo wants to make sure this baby gets a proper moniker, one that suits its status as the 50th African black-footed penguin chick to be hatched here. That's why the zoo is holding a naming contest.
Beginning Tuesday, the public will be able to submit name ideas. That's also the day the newest member of the penguin family will make its debut in the exhibit. The chick will have a fluorescent yellow tag on its left wing with the number 50 written on it.
Watch the little one. Get a feel for its personality. Then give the christening your best gender-neutral shot — it will be another month or two before zookeepers know if the chick is male or female.
While some of the names for the zoo's other penguins were selected simply because they're cute — Ernie, Dudley, Bogey — most have something to do with the animal's personality or appearance. Some are African names.
For example, Titan was the largest penguin chick. Houdini was adept at escaping the chick-raising pen. Dumaka needed assistance getting out of his shell, so was given an African name that means "helping hand."
Some vital statistics: Zookeeper Melanie Pococke said the chick was born May 16 to Benny (dad) and Patriot. It now weighs about 5 pounds and is 18 inches tall. The downy fluff is giving way to juvenile feathers.
"They're pretty much full grown at about seven weeks, so it will probably stay about this size," Pococke said.
Swimming lessons are going well, she said, and the baby is about to be introduced to the other juvenile penguins, which will help its transition to the main exhibit.
Only one contest entry will be allowed per person. The winner gets a one-year family membership to the zoo, a penguin plush toy, penguin coffee mug and a Pueblo Chieftain apron. The winner's name and their submission will be published in the zoo's newsletter and temporarily posted at the penguin exhibit.
For complete contest details, see the ads that will run in The Pueblo Chieftain starting next week.

NAME THAT PENGUIN

Here's the timeline for the penguin-naming contest:
Tuesday — The baby penguin will rejoin the rest of the penguin population in the zoo exhibit, where visitors can view it and get name ideas.
Aug. 3 — Name suggestions due by 3 p.m.
Aug. 10 — The winning name will be announced in an ad in The Pueblo Chieftain.

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