PETALING JAYA: Zoo Melaka is turning to the public for help with an adorable task – finding a name for its newest resident, a male black panther cub.
Born on July 22 through natural breeding, the cub is the offspring of six-year-old female Beting and 11-year-old male Tommy.
Weighing 1.09kg at birth, the cub has since grown into a healthy and active youngster, according to Zoo Melaka.
“As of Tuesday, he was two months and seven days old and was increasingly seen spending time under the watchful care of his mother,” the zoo said in a post on its official Facebook page yesterday.
Now comes the fun part: giving him a name.
“Can you guess what name would suit our new baby boy?” the zoo asked, inviting members of the public to suggest names for the young arrival.
The post was accompanied by photographs of the cub showing off his striking blue-grey eyes, rounded ears and dark coat as he explored his surroundings.
The naming call drew attention online, with members of the public suggesting names including T’chaka, Taming Sari, Wakanda, Bintang, Kasturi and Arang.
Others simply shared their delight at seeing the young cub, while one commenter suggested “Taming” by combining parts of his parents’ names.
A black panther is not a separate species, but a leopard with a genetic condition called melanism, which causes its coat to appear almost entirely black.
The leopard’s distinctive spots are still present, but are often difficult to see against the dark fur. In Asia, black panthers are melanistic leopards, while in the Americas, the term can also refer to melanistic jaguars.
