The new baby orangutan at the Los Angeles Zoo has a name: Elka. Why Elka? It’s in honor of animal-lover Betty White’s 90th birthday and named for her character in Hot in Cleveland. TV Land and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) teamed up to recognize White’s 50 years of support of the LA Zoo with a baby orangutan named in her honor.
White is the co-chairman of GLAZA and a passionate supporter of animal charities. “How appropriate that the most beautiful baby orangutan ever is named for my Hot in Cleveland character Elka Ostrovsky,” said White, tongue-in-cheek. “I’m truly thrilled that TV Land’s generous contribution is supporting my beloved Los Angeles Zoo.”
“TV Land’s generous birthday gift to Betty superbly acknowledges her work as a tireless animal advocate by supporting the GLAZA’s mission of nurturing wildlife and enriching the human experience,” stated GLAZA President Connie Morgan. “We are deeply grateful.”
More on Elka:
“Elka, a Bornean orangutan, is the second baby for the Zoo’s female Bornean orangutan, Kalim and father Minyak, one of two orangutan males at the Zoo. Orangutans are native to the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. In the Malay language orang means person and utan means forest. Decked out in long, shaggy, orange-red hair, orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammals. Bornean orangutans are endangered and Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered. In the last 60 years, it’s estimated that there has been more than a 50 percent decline in the orangutan population. This decline is primarily attributed to habitat loss.”
