Public To Pick Name For Fort Worth Zoo's Baby Gorilla

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - While the rest of the United States is focused on the presidential primaries, officials at the Fort Worth Zoo are holding their own election -- to determine the name of their baby gorilla. The little guy was born early in December, and became the first gorilla ever born at the Fort Worth Zoo.

But the baby still does not have a name.

The zoo is giving North Texans a chance to bestow a special name upon the ape. Now through Wednesday, anyone can submit their own gorilla name into the Primate Primary on Facebook and Twitter using the #FortWorthZooNameTheGorilla hashtag, or by sending the zoo an email.

After zoo officials cull through the list of names, four finalists will be selected and announced on Friday. The public then has a chance to vote on their favorite name through March 9. The gorilla's new name will be announced on March 10.

Click here for more details about the election process.

To help you be an informed voter, the Fort Worth Zoo has released details about the baby western lowland gorilla. His mother is a 16-year-old from Oklahoma City named Gracie, and his father is a 25-year-old from Buffalo named Elmo. The little gorilla came into the world in the middle of the night.

The primate's birth is being seen as a conservation success. Western lowland gorillas have a low reproductive rate, and are on the list of critically endangered species as a result of hunting and disease. Despite great strides made to combat the decline, it would take an estimated 75 years for the gorilla population to fully recover.