Tulsa Zoo asks the public to vote on names for penguin chick

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- An Oklahoma zoo is asking flightless bird fans to help choose a name for its recently hatched penguin chick.

The Tulsa Zoo said the chick hatched Oct. 3 to parents Dassen and Ireland, and the zoo is now asking visitors to its website to vote on a name for the young bird.

The zoo said the selected names -- River, Sandy and Robbie -- are gender-neutral, as the chick's sex has not yet been determined.

River is a reference to Mariano Rivera, a former closing pitcher for the New York Yankees; Sandy is short for Sandman, which is Rivera's nickname; and Robbie was chosen in honor of Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in Major League Baseball. The baseball players were chosen as the basis for the penguin's name as they both sported jersey No. 42, and the penguin chick's current designation at the zoo is No. 4242.