Name’s the Game: Zoo Has Yet to Get a Handle on Baby Elephant’s Handle

No one knows for certain who’s the father of the male elephant calf that was born last Wednesday at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, so any name ending in "Jr." is likely out of the question. But what do you call a 290-pound bundle of joy?

That’s a question posed to officials at the Druid Hill Park zoo. Amid the excitement, no name’s been chosen just yet, and zoo spokeswoman Jane Ballentine said yesterday that officials there will decide soon whether to hold a naming contest for the African savanna elephant.

The Silver Spring-based Association of Zoos and Aquariums says there isn’t a database of names used for animals in captivity. According to babynames.com, among the 10 most popular names for a human baby boy last year were Aidan, Braden, Connor, Noah and Jacob.

The Silver Spring-based Association of Zoos and Aquariums says there isn’t a database of names used for animals in captivity. According to babynames.com, among the 10 most popular names for a human baby boy last year were Aidan, Braden, Connor, Noah and Jacob.

Among the most famous elephants: Jumbo, a gigantic, 19th- century elephant in the P.T. Barnum circus; Hanno, a pet white elephant of 16th century Pope Leo X; and Tusko, a six-ton elephant who, in the 1930s, was reputed as being the world’s largest in captivity.

The zoo’s new arrival marks the second child for 24-year-old Lil’ Felix, who has lived at the zoo since late last year. Her first calf, a 5-year-old named Maximus, was conceived at Riddle’s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary in Greenbrier, Ark., with a 28-year-old male named Willie, who still resides at the sanctuary.

Baltimore zoo officials say the newborn elephant’s father is either Willie or an elephant named Artie, who was once at the Riddle’s Sanctuary but is now at a zoo in North Carolina.

Mike McClure, general curator and elephant manager at the Maryland Zoo, says paternity tests will determine which elephant is the father. Both Lil’ Felix andcalf, he says, "are doing extremely well."

Sue Harralson, a full-time volunteer at the sanctuary said Riddle’s Sanctuary owner and trainer Scott Riddle named the newborn elephant’s brother.

"He named him Maximus because of his personality. He was sort of like a gladiator," Harralson said.