The Department of Conservation yesterday announced the chick that has spent its life in front of Doc’s Royal cam will be called Tumanako.
A Doc spokeswoman said Tumanako’s name was chosen by public vote after five names were picked by Te Poari a Pukekura (the Pukekura Co-management Trust) from 1672 entries. The other four names in contention were Arran, Laidir, Raukura and Maia, which came a close second.
Doc said the names had to reflect the characteristics of the species or their habitat on Otago Peninsula and their importance as a taonga (treasured) species.
The naming of Tumanako, which means hope, wish, or desire, followed a similar naming process for the last albatross media star, Moana.
Moana was the first chick to feature on Doc’s Royal cam, and coverage of its progress attracted more than 600,000 views until she fledged and flew away, last September.
Royal cam had now received 1.6million views from audiences in 198 countries since it was first installed in January last year.
Tumanako had to survive health problems early on, when in February it spent a day in intensive care after Doc rangers found it was fly-blown, and had lost weight.
The chick’s weight yesterday was 10kg.
Doc planned to keep filming Tumanako until it fledged, which was expected to happen about September.
After the chick fledged, its parents would leave the colony and spend the following year at sea. They would then return to breed again, completing a two-year cycle.
The chick was left alone on the nest for long periods at present while its parents were at sea foraging for food.
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The outcomes of these naming competitions seem to be predetermined. Why don't the various bodies just get on with naming museums, geckos and albatross chicks themselves because it seems obvious now what the result will be.
Why did they not give it a name that the odinary person could say get sick of all these funny names after all we do live in an english speaking country