Zoo's newborn gorilla gets a name

For the baby gorilla born late last month, not any old name would do.

That's because, as the 50th gorilla born at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, this baby was considered special. So her caregivers took some time to choose a special name.

Zoo officials announced Monday that the babe has been named Elle. The name is a nod to the letter L, which is the Roman numeral for 50. Elle is also French for "she."

In a public vote, Elle edged out the name Goldie – as in gold, the material associated with 50th anniversaries.

"It is a very rare thing for any zoo to have 50 babies born, and we wanted that to be recognized in the baby's name," Ron Evans, the zoo's curator of primates, said in a Monday release jokingly titled "Elle, Oh Elle."

Anju, a 14-year-old western lowland gorilla, gave birth to Elle – her first baby – Aug. 25. Hers marked the first gorilla birth at the zoo since 2006. Anju and Elle's father, a silverback named Jomo, are said to have significant genetic variation that makes Elle important to the preservation of their species.

Elle has been spotted outside with Anju by zoo-goers at the primates exhibit. Her appearances are weather- and health-dependent, according to zoo officials. When the weather is warm, keepers put Elle's group out in the morning.

The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Updates on Elle are posted on Twitter with the hashtag #CZBGBabyGorilla.