Lincoln Park Zoo Snow Monkey Used Touchscreen To Name Her Baby

CHICAGO — A snow monkey momma named her own baby at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes researchers used touchscreen technology to offer Mito, a 15-year-old Japanese macaque, a choice of names for her bouncing newborn male monkey born on August 3.

“Lincoln Park Zoo is dedicated to providing choice and control to the species in its care whenever possible, which is exemplified in the zoo’s voluntary primate cognitive research program,” Fisher Center director Dr. Steve Ross said. “In the spirit of providing choice, we gave snow monkey Mito the opportunity to choose her infant’s name, selecting between two options”.

Mito, who was familiar with using touchscreen technology, had a choice between two names inspired by Japanese cities that start with the first letter of her name, Minato or Miyoshi.

She picked the name Minato, after a Tokyo neighborhood's name that means "port."

Now, Mito and Minato live with a troop of 13 snow monkeys at the Zoo.