COLUMBUS Voting from fans of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will decide the name of one of the zoo's newest manatee calves.
The zoo announced the naming contest Friday, in partnership with Kroger, to coincide with the day's commemoration of World Oceans Day.
Possible names are: Carmen (a nod to "Carmen Ohio," the Ohio State University alma mater); Scioto (after the Scioto River); Trillium (Ohio's state wildflower); and Sloopy (after Ohio's state rock song "Hang on Sloopy").
Fans can vote at ColumbusZoo.org/name-the-manatee through June 22.
The winner will be announced June 25 on the zoo's website and social media pages.
The orphaned manatee calf, a female, arrived in April.
She was rescued Feb. 8 off the coast of Florida with signs of cold stress beside her mother, who was seriously injured. Her mother died two days later. The orphaned calf is one of six calves rehabilitating at the Columbus Zoo. They'll be taken back to Florida for release into the wild once they're grown.
World Oceans Day, an annual global event coordinated by the nonprofit group The Ocean Project since 2002, aims to raise awareness of preserving and protecting ocean ecosystems that benefit both humans and wildlife.