ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) – ASHEBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina Zoo is asking the public to vote on names for the sand cat kitten triplets born May 11, 2023. The triplets are two females and one male.
The public can vote in an online poll from among names chosen by zookeepers. Voting is open now and closes Wednesday, July 5, at 4 p.m. EDT. The poll is also accessible through the zoo’s website at nczoo.org. There is no charge to participate. The winning names will be announced Friday, July 7.
Female candidates (the top two vote-getters will be given to the female kittens):
- Cleo (short for Cleopatra): iconic queen of Egypt; Greek name meaning “glory of the father”
- Amira (uh-MEER-uh): Arabic name meaning “princess”
- Cyra (SEER-uh): Persian name meaning “sun” or “throne”
- Safiya (suh-FEE-yuh): Arabic name meaning “pure” or “friend”
- Noora (NOO-rah): Arabic name meaning “light” or “the divine light”
Male candidates:
- Khonsu (CON-shoe): ancient Egyptian god of the moon, youth and healing
- Jabari (jah-BAH-ree): Arabic and Swahili name meaning “valiant” or “fearless”
- Horus (HOR-uhs): ancient Egyptian god of the sky, representing power and strength
- Osiris (ow-SIGH-ris): ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife; name derived from a word meaning “the mighty one”
- Ra (rah): ancient Egyptian god of the sun and king of all Egyptian deities
Sand cats: small and mighty
Sand cats are small but formidable hunters, capable of killing venomous snakes in the desert. Though they appear adorable with large ears, wide eyes and petite frames, looks can be deceiving. Zookeepers describe them as wild, ferocious animals that should never be kept as pets.
Sand cats are native to the deserts of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and central Asia. Nocturnal by nature, they adapt readily to the extreme temperature swings of desert environments.
The sand cat is among the world’s smallest feline species, weighing 4 to 8 pounds and measuring an average of 20 inches in length. The gestation period is approximately 60 days. Under human care, sand cats can live up to 13 years.
The cats have an exceptionally keen sense of hearing, which they use to detect prey moving beneath the sand, and strong digging skills to capture it quickly.
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