They remain nameless no more.
Tired of being referred to as the “triplets” or the “trio” — the Akron Zoo’s cute snow leopards wasted little time picking their names Thursday morning.
Faster than you can say, “aw, look how cute they are,” one of the precocious cubs stuck its nose inside of a plastic tub bearing the name “Asha,” whose origin is Sanskrit and means hope.
In all, the cubs had six names sent in by zoo lovers from which to pick.
While newly minted Asha played with her namesake container, another cub stuck its nose deep inside of the container with the name “Altai” of Turkic-Mongolian origin meaning golden.
Asha decided enough was enough and picked the name of her last sibling by sticking her nose deep inside of the container bearing the name “Layan” of Arabic origin and meaning soft or gentle.
It took less than 60 seconds for the cubs, who will be 3 months old on Sunday, to pick their names.
For those keeping score at home, the rejected names included Luka, Anuj and Sumbre.
The excitement was short-lived as zoo officials announced the new names and the small crowd of media, dignitaries and workers applauded — spooking the cubs and mom, Shanti, and sending them scurrying for cover.
Senior zookeeper Sarah Kirkman said this is all part of the process of getting the cubs and their mom used to being on public display.
Mom and the little ones have been living behind the scenes and have been brought out only in the mornings before the zoo opens to visitors to get the cubs used to roaming around the enclosure.
They will make their public debut on Friday and will be on display from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily.
Kirkman said those hours will expand over time as they become more accustomed to the public spotlight and their outdoor home.
The triplets — one female and two males — weigh around 12 pounds and should eventually weigh around 85 pounds like Mom or 99 pounds like Dad, Roscoe.
Zoo officials say there are 153 snow leopards in the Species Survival Plan in the U.S. and there are believed to be as few as 4,000 left in the wild.
With this in mind, zoo President and CEO Doug Piekarz said Akron should be proud of its role in sustaining the species.
“This is the end result of a lot of good work,” he said.
In all, the naming contest sponsored by Akron Children’s Hospital drew 6,710 entrants — a record for the zoo. The entries were whittled down to six by a committee that included zoo and Children’s Hospital employees. Those who submitted the winning names will receive free admission to the zoo and a snow leopard prize pack.
Akron Children’s Hospital Chief Executive Officer and President Bill Considine said the city is fortunate to be home to a “world class” zoo that brings “smiles” to the faces of children each and every day.
Kirkman said they used beef meatballs inside each of the containers to coax the cubs into picking names, but they were so rambunctious Thursday morning that incentive might not have been needed.
“They’re doing great.”
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.