Say Hello to Aloke and Alina

ROYAL OAK, Mich., September 30, 2009 – The Detroit Zoo received 13,050 votes in response to an online poll to name its black-and-white ruffed lemur twins born June 2.  With 8,132 votes (62.31%), the community agreed that these shadows of the night could go by no other names than Aloke and Alina.

The names were submitted by Julia Chekey, Stan Chesney, Kay Cummins, Liz Hench and Marion Hull, all residents of the Sanctuary at Bellbrook, a senior living community in Rochester Hills, Mich. 

Inspired by the Zoo’s suggestion to consider the species’ Malagasy origin, the elders researched black-and-white ruffed lemurs and discovered that another name for lemur is “shadow of the night”.  The male’s name, Aloke, is the Malagasy word for “shadow” and the female’s name, Alina, means “night”. 

The seniors will receive a complimentary visit to the Detroit Zoo to see the lemurs and other animals while enjoying a special behind-the-scenes “Take a Ride on the Wild Side” experience.  Highlights include a guided golf cart tour of the Zoo’s 125-acre grounds, a special viewing of the zookeeper’s animal enrichment activities and a gourmet breakfast in one of the Zoo’s lush picnic groves.

The other semi-finalist names, Zoky and Fanja, finished second with 4,361 votes (33.42%), followed by Noro and Tia, a distant third with 300 votes (2.3%).  Fourth-place finishers Mahery and Akisa were the favorites of 129 voters (0.99%), while Anando and Alika came in fifth with 128 votes (0.98%). 

More than 1,600 name suggestions were submitted by the public and narrowed to a list of five pairs by a panel of Detroit Zoo staffers.  The finalists were posted on the Zoo’s website and the community had until midnight September 29, 2009, to vote for their favorite names.

Aloke and Alina can be seen with parents Fleur and Goodall in their outdoor habitat between the snow monkeys and white rhinos.  

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through Labor Day (with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. day after Labor Day through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11 for adults 15 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 14; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  Admission is free.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 

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