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Come say hippo-hooray: Zoo plans naming bash for baby hippo on National Children’s Day
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The newly constructed “monkey island”
By Kasun Warakapitiya
Baby hippo with mamma hippo. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The National Zoological Gardens will host a naming ceremony for a newborn Nile hippopotamus, along with other events, to mark National Children’s Day on October 1.
The zoo’s Director General, Dr Chandana Rajapaksa, told the Sunday Times that the public had been invited to submit names for the newborn baby hippo and stand a chance to win gifts.
Several media organisations and companies have come forward to sponsor the events, which will be held under the patronage of Environment Minister Dammika Patabendi.
Among the other main events will be the opening of the newly constructed “monkey island” open enclosures, which will house gibbons and the ring-tailed lemurs.
“The lemurs and gibbons do not swim across the water moat; therefore, the animals will be held in an open enclosure,” he said.
The DG added that adjoining the monkey island would be another monkey enclosure with a special design. This enclosure for silver leaf monkeys would also be declared open on the same day. It is undergoing its final preparation.
The two monkey enclosures would be declared open by the environment minister.
Art competitions, quiz competitions and interactive programmes are among other events that are being arranged to mark the day in collaboration with the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board.
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