NORFOLK — The Virginia Zoo is nearing the end of its annual Croctober and is looking to end it with a snap.
They plan on doing that by naming the zoo’s second female crocodile and raising money for crocodiles around the world.
To celebrate Croctober, the zoo will be running a contest to name one of their crocodiles and use the money raised to contribute funds for the Madras Crocodile Trust.
The reptile to be named is one of two female Siamese crocodiles that were added to the zoo’s newly opened World of Reptiles Exhibit back in July.
Shadie, the younger of the two female crocodiles, was named through the zoo’s annual Zoo To Do event earlier this year.
The contest began on Wednesday at 9 a.m. and will run until noon on Oct. 31.
Participants can vote on one of three names submitted by the Virginia Zoo Reptile Keepers, or submit a name to the contest.
The three names are:
- Slim
- Barbie
- Makara (a crocodile-like creature in Southeast Asia from Hindu/Buddhist mythology)
- Or submit your own
All entries are $1, according to a news release from the zoo.
Each subsequent vote for a name is $1 and the name with the most votes wins and will be announced on Halloween.
The zoo will donate 100 percent of the naming contest proceeds to the Madras Crocodile Trust, an organization in which the Virginia Zoo is working with to bring a male Siamese crocodile to the United States, a unique process which could take up to two years.
The two females came from St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park, an AZA-accredited institution in Florida.
Both are full-grown, measuring approximately 7 feet in length and weighing about 150 pounds each.
For more information, and to vote, visit www.virginiazoo.org/croc-
