UPDATE: September 19, 2024

John Ball Zoo has announced the name of the new baby snow leopard! Everyone say hello to little Mera, pronounced (mare-ah), based on the name of a mountain peak in the Himalayas where snow leopards are from.

ORIGINAL:

It has been a busy year for the John Ball Zoo. From the birth of a set of baby lynx kits to the births of three penguin chicks, new life is abound at the Zoo. Now, they're ready to reveal yet another new animal joining their ranks: a baby snow leopard and John Ball Zoo has a special request of all its visitors.

The little cub has been growing up behind the scenes since it was born in June, and now that she is ready to make her dazzling appearance, the Zoo needs help giving her a name. 

First Time Parents

On June 6th, John Ball Zoo (JBZ) announced that snow leopards Mylo and Yuki had given birth to their first cub together and that Yuki and cub would be staying behind the scenes for a few weeks while she nursed the cub. Now, the cub is ready to make her first public appearance. However, if you're going to be the star of the show, you need a good stage name, and JBZ has reached out to the public to help decide on one.

The Name Game

JBZ has narrowed down the cub's name options to the following:

• Mera (mare-ah) - a mountain peak in the Himalayas
• Deeya - Nepalese for "light"
• Winnie
• Aurora

READ MORE: Former John Ball Zoo Statue Finds New Home At Ice Cream Shop |

If you're interested in throwing some weight behind one of the names, simply click this link to go to the voting page. Otherwise, if you want to see the star herself, JBZ is open daily until November 24th when it closes for the season.