HONOLULU — Honolulu Zoo invites the public to help select a name for the zoo’s newest Eastern black rhinoceros born to parents Aria (mother) and Kendi (father) on April 19.

What You Need To Know

  • The public is invited to vote for one of three proposed names for the zoo’s newest Eastern black rhinoceros by July 9

  • People can vote in-person via a voting donation box or online

  • Zoo staff will select the name that earns the most donations

  • All donations go to the Honolulu Zoo Society to support enrichment for the baby rhino

Zoo staff says the male baby rhino is healthy and growing. He has just recently been allowed to explore the outdoor habitat, and visitors can now see parents and baby in the zoo’s African Savanna.

The public can choose from three names selected by zoo staff:

  • Akamu: Hawaiian for Adam, and being a black rhino, it would be similar to the DC Comics character, Black Adam. In Hebrew, Akamu means “red dirt” or “of the earth.”
  • Ardi: A combination of parents, Aria and Kendi.
  • Hiapo: Means “first born” in Hawaiian.

The public can vote either in-person or online until July 9. Visitors to the zoo can vote via three voting donation boxes, one for each name, at Kapahulu Market located in the center of the zoo.

Honolulu Zoo staff will select a name based on the one that earns the highest donation amount. All donations go to the Honolulu Zoo Society to support enrichment for the baby rhino.

“The staff are thrilled to work with and watch the baby rhino grow,” Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos said in a news release. “They have thoughtfully selected names based on their observations of his personality and character. We encourage the public to visit the zoo and check out the baby rhino on exhibit or via our live rhino cam online, and to help us pick his name.”

As part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, Kendi and Aria are identified as a breeding pair. The two arrived from San Diego last September and November, and the male baby is the couple’s first offspring.

The baby rhino has gained over 100 pounds since birth and weighs approximately 175 pounds. In comparison, father Kendi weighs about 2,450 pounds.

People can view the live rhino cam throughout the day to see the family in its enclosure.

Critically endangered, the Eastern black rhino is the smaller of the two African rhino species, the other being the white rhino. They can weigh up to 3,000 pounds and live up to 35 years in the wild, and up to 50 years with human care.

Honolulu Zoo hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; grounds close at 4 p.m.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.