Gorilla born at the Calgary Zoo now has a name

Yewande gave birth to a baby in May 2023.

Officials with the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo have announced the name of the newest gorilla to join the troop.

Mom Yewande gave birth to the baby in May. The baby's father is silverback Jasiri.

The organization held a contest to let those who made a donation vote for the gorilla’s name.

The winning result, announced on Tuesday, was Okabe (pronounced oh-KAH-beh) which means "to think."

"It is derived from the Boyki language, which has a number of regional dialects and is an important Bendi language spoken by the Boyki people of the northern Cross River State, Nigeria," reads a social media post.

The name was chosen as a potential selection by the zoo's partners at the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), who share the goal of helping western gorillas to survive and thrive

"We reached out to the NCF to ask them to help us find a name that pays homage to the species, the people and the culture where western gorillas are found," the zoo said.

The naming contest raised $7,855 to help the zoo to care for the gorilla troop and fund conservation efforts.