The votes are in and we have a winner – no debates necessary. The winning name of Fort Worth Zoo’s history-making baby gorilla is Augustus “Gus,” meaning great, magnificent. With more than 8,800 votes it was an exciting campaign season to watch and though there was plenty of name-calling, it was far less crude than some debates (without naming names).
The Electoral College helped determine Gus as the election winner. Well, not that college – Texas Christian University (TCU) and Pittsburg State University, a small public university in Pittsburg, Kan., helped Gus make his way to the top of the leaderboard.
At one point, three different names were leading in the three different polls. Grover led the Facebook vote, Gus led the Twitter vote and Mosi was the favorite for in-park voters. Local celebrities also endorsed their favorite name and TCU’s SuperFrog actively campaigned on behalf of Gus. However, once Pittsburg State got wind of the contest, they encouraged their students to vote for the name that happens to share the name of their mascot, Gus the Gorilla. Within 24 hours, Gus surged from third place to first, surpassing Mosi and Grover.
Gus is an appropriate name as Fort Worth is hosting the 25th anniversary celebration of the miniseries Lonesome Dove. One of Lonesome Dove’s main characters is the beloved Capt. Augustus “Gus” McCrae. Guests can visit Gus, his parents Elmo and Gracie and the rest of the troop at the World of Primates exhibit during spring break, beginning March 12.
www.fortworthzoo.org