Nashville Zoo's new adorable leopard cub needs a name. How to enter the zoo's naming contest
The Nashville Zoo recently welcomed a rare arrival — a female, clouded leopard cub. The cub was born on Feb. 25 and currently weighs the size of a small baguette, said the zoo. The cub measures about 13-inches-long from her nose to the tip of her tail.
The adorable, spotted cub is the third litter for mated pair Niran (female) and Ron (male) and is the fourth female cub to be born to Niran. Guests can view the cub at the Zoo's HCA Healthcare Veterinary Center.
"We are thrilled to see the success of natural breeding between Niran and Ron," said Nashville Zoo's Director of Veterinary Services Heather Schwartz. "The birth of this new clouded leopard cub is a huge accomplishment in our conservation efforts for the species and a testament to the work we have been doing with Clouded Leopards the last 34 years."
The cub's arrival marks the first clouded leopard cub birth in an AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) Accredited Zoo this year, thus making survivability critical, said the zoo.
Guests of the Nashville Zoo can support conservation efforts by taking part in the zoo's naming contest. People are able to vote on:
Lara, in honor of the TV personality who announced the cub's birth nationwide
Tashi, a Tibetan name meaning good fortune
Mi, a Vietnamese name meaning noodles.
To double conservation efforts, the zoo will be matching all donations dollar for dollar. The winning name will be the one that raises the most money.
Voting is now open, here's how to participate:
Visit the zoo's website and click the 'Vote Now' Button
Enter the amount you'd like to contribute ($1 = 1 vote)
Place order, then choose your favorite name
Submit and complete checkout per normal
Voting will close on Saturday, April 12 at 10 p.m. local time and the winning name will be announced on Sunday, April 13.
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Zoo's new leopard cub needs a name, how you can help
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