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

The Tulsa Zoo said the chick hatched Oct. 3 to parents Dassen and Ireland

OKHLAHOMA (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.