ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) – A sanctuary for exotic and endangered birds is looking for help naming its newest resident.
Last week Carolina Avian Research and Education (CARE) welcomed the arrival of a three-year-old female East African crowned crane from a facility in Florida.
According to Leeann Shearouse, director of CARE, the bird arrived with no name, which she aims to correct.
“Everybody deserves a name,” said Shearouse on Tuesday.
After giving it some thought, Shearouse settled on three possible names for the crane, and is now asking folks on social media to make the final decision.
On Monday, CARE posted a photo of the crane and a selection of three names for the public to vote on: Nala, which means ‘girl,’ Zella, which translates to ‘one who knows the way,’ or Zuri, which means ‘the beautiful one.’
“I researched for African names. I wanted to be true to her background; these are some I thought would be good for her,” said Shearouse.
CARE is a sanctuary for rare and endangered birds from across the globe. It is currently home to birds from every continent, except Antarctica.
“We study them, we teach people about them and the ecosystems they come from and sometimes we breed critically endangered species,” explained Shearouse. “We take in a lot of birds with disabilities, I think it’s important for people with disabilities to see sometimes animals have disabilities and it doesn’t have to ruin your life. And I think young children need to see animals have disabilities so when they meet people with disabilities they will be kind to them.”
CARE will be the permeant home for the crane, and the sanctuary recently completed an exhibit for the bird and other birds commonly found in savannah-like environments.
The sanctuary also offers classes in falconry, water gardening and wildflower gardening and sells one-of-a-kind plants grown only at the sanctuary.
Voting for the new name will go on for a few more days on CARE’s Facebook. To learn more about CARE or to book a trip to see the sanctuary and meet its birds, visit carebird.org.
