The Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden in Japan is receiving a lot of complaints after announcing that it will be naming its new baby monkey, born last Wednesday, as "Charlotte," after the new British princess.
The zoo received over 300 calls and emails from the public, even as it explained that the name was the favorite choice in a public ballot, according to Fox News. Charlotte had 59 votes of the 853 votes.
The number of votes for Charlotte increased after the princess' full name was revealed Monday. The new royal, born on May 2, is the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and is the fourth in line to the British throne.
Voting for the monkey's name was done between March 27 to May 6 at the Oita zoo, CBS News reported.
Zoo official Akira Asano said in a statement that the public ballot revealed that the Japanese people would be more offended if the baby monkey was named after a Japanese princess. He also said he had no knowledge of the British people's complaints, as the calls largely came from locals.
"We deeply apologize for causing trouble to many people over the naming of the first baby (monkey). We take these opinions seriously," said the zoo's official statement, which was posted on its official site.
Asano and the rest of the zoo officials are said to be planning a consult with the British embassy in Tokyo on Friday, according to Kyodo News.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace did not have any comments regarding the issue, but its palace's communication office apparently said via Kyodo News, "The naming of an animal is entirely up to the individuals who own it."
It has been a tradition in the Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden to ask the public for names of first-born macaque of the year. During the Sochi Olympics, the name "Sochi" became the top choice for a macaque that was born just several days after the event.
The zoo is a top tourist destination according to Visit Oita.
