Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s two-week old baby elephant still doesn’t have a name. Zoo operators are asking the public to vote for their favorite name by Thursday, as Rob Manning reports.

Rose Tu’s baby will have a name by the end of the week. Zookeepers plan to announce the new name on Friday. But between now and Thursday, they want people to weigh in on five names.

The voting is open, on-line at Oregonzoo.com .

All the suggested names have linguistic ties to one of three Asian countries: India, China, and Vietnam, where Asian elephants are native.  But a few of the suggestions also have local ties.

The name “Duc,” for instance, shares its first three letters with the last name of the late Trail Blazers’ star, Kevin Duckworth.

After a rough first few days, Rose Tu and her calf appear to be getting along better. Oregon zoo officials say that the baby’s father, Tusko, is expected to meet the youngster in the near future.

The public has flocked to see the elephant calf during mid-day visiting hours for about a week now.