An 11-year-old boy has come up with an exotic and apt name for Dublin Zoo’s two-month-old Asian elephant.
The infant male elephant pictured at Dublin Zoo in February. Picture by Dara McDonaill
Youngster, Cian Cooke, from Tallaght, suggested Budi, meaning “wise one” in Indonesian, for the new-born animal after searching on the internet for a name.
The two-month-old bull elephant was officially named today after an online competition which more than 1,000 people entered.
Cian ran the idea past his father Sean before entering it in a competition. “My dad and I thought it was a good name as an elephant never forgets so he would definitely be a ‘wise one’,” the youngster said.
“I found the name on the internet, it was a short name and it was easy to remember the name as it was just one word.”
Dublin Zoo said he was the only person to suggest the clever name. Baby Budi weighed in at around 80 kilos (176lbs) when born on February 17th and in the space of just two months he has trebled in size and is now a portly 260 kilos.
The hunt for a name began a few days after Budi was born in February. Paul O’Donoghue, assistant to the director of Dublin Zoo, said Budi was a perfect choice.
“We were delighted with such a great response to the competition with over 1,000 entries received” Mr O’Donoghue said.
“It was clear that there was a lot of effort made to help us find a name for the calf and we are thrilled that we have finally landed on the perfect name for him.
“All the keepers agree that the name Budi really suits him and it has as much relevance to his Asian roots.”
Budi has spent the last two months getting used to his surroundings in the Kaziranga Forest Trail, along with his mother Yasmin (18) and other elephants Bernhardhine (24) Anak (4) and 11-month-old Asha.
Cian and his family have won a VIP day in Dublin Zoo and an annual pass. Visitors to Dublin Zoo can see the five elephants in The Kaziranga Forest Trail.
PA