A Japanese zoo’s attempt to crowd source a cute name for its newborn baby monkey blew up in its face, when some people picked “Charlotte” in honor of the new British princess, and some other people got mad.
The Associated Press reports that an (adorable) macaque was recently born at Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden. But her name has become the subject of controversy:
The Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden said Thursday it was considering renaming the macaque. It was flooded with angry calls and emails Wednesday hours after announcing the name for its first monkey born this year, a tradition at the city-run zoo in southern Japan.
Charlotte was the favorite in a public ballot, receiving 59 out of 853 votes in just over a month until Wednesday, when the female monkey was born.
The complaints were not from offended Brits, mind you, but locals who thought it was disrespectful. The zoo released a statement on its website: “We deeply apologize for causing trouble to many people over the naming of the first baby [monkey],” adding that, “We take these opinions seriously.” They’re trying to figure out what to do, because the pro-Charlotte crowd is apparently quite vocal, as well.
On the bright side, every minute spent addressing this controversy is another minute they don’t have to spend reading emails from people who oppose all zoos.
Image via The Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden via AP.
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