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What's In An Animal Name?

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In this frame grab taken from a November 2012 video made available by Paula French, a well-known, protected lion known as Cecil strolls around in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean police are searching for an American who allegedly shot Cecil in a killing that has outraged conservationists and others. (Paula French via AP)
In this frame grab taken from a November 2012 video made available by Paula French, a well-known, protected lion known as Cecil strolls around in Hwange National Park, in Hwange, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean police are searching for an American who allegedly shot Cecil in a killing that has outraged conservationists and others. (Paula French via AP)

People name their pets, of course. But in recent years, we've been getting to know a lot of wild animals on a first-name basis through national and international news stories.

When did they start getting names? And why? Here & Now's Robin Young and Peter O'Dowd find out what's in a name from Vicki Croke (@TheWildLifeWBUR), host of WBUR's The Wild Life blog.

This segment aired on May 19, 2017.

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