Victoria Names New Baby Boy Elephant Ongard
The people of Victoria have given Melbourne Zoo’s new baby boy elephant a name, Ongard, which means brave and bold as well as audacious, dignified and powerful.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings today visited the Trail of the Elephants to officially announce the name of the Zoo’s newest baby, which was born on September 20.
“Anyone who has seen the baby elephant since he was born last month will agree that Ongard is an entirely appropriate name,” Mr Jennings said.
“He is larger than his half sister Mali when she was born and already has shown that he is very bold and audacious. I would like to thank the almost 8000 people who entered the naming competition for participating in this wonderful occasion.”
Ongard was the most popular of five Thai names selected by the Melbourne Zoo’s elephant keepers shortly after the baby was born. They were:
- Kla Han (very brave);
- Han (audacious);
- Erawan (mythical elephant);
- Charong (victorious male); and
- Ongard (brave, bold, audacious, dignified, powerful).
Thai names were chosen because Ongard’s mother, Kulab, came to Melbourne Zoo from Thailand.
Ongard is the first ever male elephant calf born at the Melbourne Zoo and follows his half sister Mali, born in January, as only the second baby elephant born at the zoo.
Mr Jennings said such a name was a good indication of the calf’s personality, his physical toughness and his energetic approach to life.
“Now that two calves have been added to the herd, we have the opportunity to see a very natural social grouping of cows and calves, a rare chance to observe their instinctive behaviours,” Mr Jennings said.
“It will be fantastic watching Ongard and Mali as they develop over the years to come. At the moment Mali is playing the big sister role but soon Ongard will overtake her and grow much larger and stronger.”
Zoo Director Kevin Tanner said that without the Zoo’s Trail of the Elephants facility, Melbourne Zoo could not have undertaken its ambitious conservation breeding program.
“Kulab, Dokkoon, and Num-Oi only arrived here in November 2006, and already we have had two elephant births, the first two in our long 148-year history,” he said.
Mr Jennings encouraged those who wanted to enjoy watching the young calves grow to become a Zoos Victoria Friends of the Zoos member, which provides unlimited year-round access to Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Open Range Zoo, or to “adopt” Ongard or Mali through a donation of as little as $10 per month.
Topics: 2010, audacious, Australia, brave, dignified, elephant, Gavin Jennings, Governance, government, Healesville Sanctuary, Kulab, Mali, Melbourne Zoo, moniter, monitor, news, Ongard, powerful, Thai, Thailand, Trail of the Elephants, Victoria, Werribee Open Range Zoo, Zoos Victoria Friends of the Zoos
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