Naming contest for newborn hippo in Si Sa Ket

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In: South-East Asia

Every voter has a chance to receive a baby hippo t-shirt

PUBLISHED : 25 Oct 2024 at 11:59

The mother hippopotamus, Ket Sa Rin, in Si Sa Ket, and her newborn daughter, who will be named on Oct 31. (Photo: Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park Zoo's Facebook page)
The mother hippopotamus, Ket Sa Rin, in Si Sa Ket, and her newborn daughter, who will be named on Oct 31. (Photo: Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park Zoo’s Facebook page)

Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park Zoo in Si Sa Ket will hold an online naming contest for their female baby hippopotamus next week, according to the zoo’s Facebook page.

The hippo calf was born on Oct 13. After her birth was announced, the number of visitors surged, with many coming to see the newborn.

Thais and foreigners are welcome to vote for her name via the zoo’s Facebook page from Oct 28 to Oct 31. The zoo has selected five names for voting, including:

  1. Lam Duan (ลำดวน), meaning white cheesewood, the provincial flower of Si Sa Ket
  2. Si Ket (ศรีเกษ), a combination of her father’s name ‘Som Si’ and her mother’s name ‘Ket Sa Rin’
  3. Sao Si (สาวศรี), meaning a beautiful girl of Si Sa Ket
  4. Hom Dang (หอมแดง), meaning red onion, a cash crop of the northeastern province
  5. Moo Kratiem (หมูกระเทียม), a Thai stir-fried pork and garlic dish, another provincial cash crop

Every voter will have a chance to receive a baby hippo t-shirt, which is limited to the first 150 participants. Those who vote for the first three winning names will receive a big prize from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

The popularity of pygmy hippo Moo Deng also started when the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri held a naming contest for her. Three names for voting included Moo Sab (minced pork), Moo Dang (sweet, barbecued pork) and Moo Deng (pork patty or bouncy pig), with Moo Deng winning by over 20,000 votes.