On August 3, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden welcomed a newborn hippo, the younger sibling of the zoo’s famous Fiona. Fritz was chosen as the name for the hippopotamus on Monday, after 200,000 votes from the general population.
The public contributed hundreds of possible names for the animal, according to a statement released by the zoo. The hippo care team picked two candidates for a vote: Ferguson and Fritz.
56% of the nearly 200,000 votes were cast for Fritz.
Wendy Rice, the lead hippo keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo, stated in a statement, “We would have been satisfied with any name, but we believe Fritz matches this little guy’s personality perfectly.”
According to the zoo, there is an additional reason why the name Fritz might suit the newborn well. His mother, Bibi, was using contraceptives at the time she got pregnant in April, so it came as a surprise to his caregivers.
“We also found it amusing that ‘Fritz’ was proposed since Bibi’s birth control was ‘on the fritz,’” Rice said.