CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -The Tennessee Aquarium’s newest furry resident now has a name.
After more than 7,000 votes, the public chose Soleil (Soh-lay) as the name for the baby red-collared brown lemur born earlier this spring. The announcement included a lemur mascot who revealed the baby’s name.
Also, during the celebration, a piñata was used as part of the reveal, with the lemur parents helping share the surprise that the baby is female.
The Aquarium says even staff members did not know the baby’s gender or the winning name before the announcement.
Soleil was one of three name choices for a female lemur. The Aquarium explained that the names all followed a French theme because red-collared brown lemurs are native to Madagascar, where French is one of the country’s official languages.
The Aquarium also says themed names help the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan maintain consistency across generations of endangered species born at zoos and aquariums across the country.
The vote was a close race, with the winning name flipping in the final moments before the announcement.
Soleil was born April 23 to first-time parents Kintana and John inside the Aquarium’s Lemur Forest exhibit.
Animal care teams continue monitoring the baby’s development as Soleil makes appearances with its parents.
