A baby white rhino in an animal park in Florida probably has the civic pride of Kiama residents to thank for its new moniker.
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The rhino was born as part of a breeding program at the Disney Animal Kingdom Park in Orlando, Florida.
The naming of the animal, which happened to be the first female rhino born in the program, was thrown open to the public.
With the animals being native to Kenya, the public were given the opportunity to choose a name from a list of four words from the language of the Kikuyu people, a tribe indigenous to the African nation.
Kiama, which means magic in Kikuyu, proved to be easily the most popular choice, with it receiving more than half of the total votes.
In a blog post announcing Kiama as the chosen name, Disney Animal Kingdom staff member Karen Jasmin said a number of Kiama residents had made comments on the park’s website hoping that Kiama would be the public’s choice.
“We learned that many people from the city of Kiama in New South Wales, Australia were excited to see the name of their town as an option,” she said.
“While I’ve never been to this city in person, after looking at a few photos online I’d love to visit.”
You'd be welcome to visit, Karen!
