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THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO NAMES NEW SIFAKA BABY LOKA (loo-KA)
Guests can see LOKA, the new sifaka baby, on exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo's PECO Primate Reserve
The Philadelphia Zoo (March 5, 2008)
It's that time again - election season. The Polls have closed and the results are in! The Philadelphia Zoo is proud to announce a clear, run-away winner for its election of a name for the newest addition to the Zoo family, a Coquerel’s sifaka (pronounced she-fak) baby. LOKA (pronounced loo-KA), which is the Malagasy (the language of Madagascar) word for "prize," has been selected from almost 3,400 entries collected on the Zoo's website - www.philadelphiazoo.org. Sifakas, made popular by the kid’s TV series “Zoboomafoo”, are a type of lemur native to Madagascar where they are vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss. Baby LOKA can be seen clinging to his mother, Eudoxia, as she jumps around their exhibit with the father, Zeno. This birth is a significant accomplishment - the Philadelphia Zoo is only the fourth Zoo in the country to breed this species. The baby and his parents are on long-term loan from the Duke University Lemur Center. Guests are invited to stop by the Philadelphia Zoo to see LOKA in person and can log-on to www.philadelphiazoo.org for the latest photos and information. Here is how the votes broke down: Loka: 1,498 votes (45%) Eko: 974 votes (29%) Kapiky: 824 votes (26%)