Mom elephant chooses firstborn's name
Matjeka gave birth to female elephant in July
TAMPA, Fla. – A newborn elephant at a Tampa zoo now has a name, thanks to her mother.
On Tuesday, zookeepers at the Lowry Park Zoo placed two piles of food, each labeled with a name, in front of mom Matjeka.
Whichever pile that Matjeka chose would be the name of her firstborn.
One pile featured the name Mavi, the other was labeled Mngani.
When feeding time came, Matjeka walked right to the Mavi pile of food, thereby giving her daughter, born on July 29, a new name.
According to USA Today, Mavi is the first African elephant born this year in any North American zoo, and the third born in the zoo's 25-year history.
Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.