Philadelphia Zoo gorilla gets to pick baby's name

The baby gorilla at the  Philadelphia Zoo that was born June 2 with the help of some local doctors who usually treat humans now has a name that was picked by his mother.

The little male western lowland gorilla was born to Kira, the Zoo's 17-year-old female, and 32-year old Motuba. The baby checked in at five pounds and spent the first night with veterinarians while Kira recovered from the anesthesia she needed during her assisted delivery.

For the name, the zoo enlisted the help of 140 Congolese children in conservation clubs at the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center, a rehabilitation sanctuary for gorillas located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The group came up with three names:

Wasingya, meaning "thanks."

Lwanzo, meaning "love."

And Ajabu, meaning "miracle."

Zoo officials decided Kira should have some say in naming her first baby.

Three boxes filled with tasty treats of escarole, tomatoes and eggplants, each labeled with a name, were set out in the gorilla enclosure just before the band was let out for some sunshine.

"She will pick her favorite box and that will be the name of her baby," said Samantha Mestor, one of primate keepers, in a online Facebook post that chronicled the event.

Kira, who carried her baby, was let out first, and went straight for the box labeled "Ajabu" and picked out a treat. Motuba also grabbed food from the same box.

"He also picked Ajabu," said Mestor.