A zoo in Japan has apologized for naming a baby monkey after Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. The zoo says that it’s now rethinking the monkey’s moniker after being flooded with hundreds of complaints.
Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden, located on the island of Kyushu, announced on Wednesday that it had named a baby macaque monkey “Charlotte” following a public vote. According to the BBC, the zoo conducts a vote every year to determine the name of their first newborn macaque monkey.
“The name was publicly solicited and Charlotte suddenly became the most popular choice -- with 59 votes out of the total 853 -- after the British baby princess’s name was announced,” a zoo official told Agence France-Presse. “There was no vote for Charlotte before the Monday night announcement.”
On Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced the name of their second child, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. The announcement came just two days after the baby girl was born at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Princess Charlotte is fourth in line to the British throne.
The Japan Times reports that Takasakiyama Zoo was deluged with complaints this week following the announcement of the baby monkey’s new royalty-inspired name.
The zoo “received about 300 phone calls and email messages demanding a retraction and asking the zoo to imagine what the Japanese people would think if a British monkey were named after a member of Japan’s Imperial family,” the news outlet wrote.
The AFP says the zoo is now considering a new name for the baby macaque.
Watch this YouTube video (in Japanese) for footage of the baby animal:
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.