Orangutan gets noble name after contest

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Even a baby orangutan is deserving of a noble name.

Out of more than 2,000 suggestions, the Seneca Park Zoo chose "Datu" as the name for its new orangutan, an ape found only in swampy, coastal jungles in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Zoo officials said Datu means nobleman, or chief, in the Iban language, and was a title held by Malay rulers in the 19th century.

The winning entry earned a University of Buffalo student Jason Grubb a year's supply of doughnuts, a zoo membership and a bicycle.

Grubb said he found the name, pronounced dah-too, after checking out an Iban dictionary from the library.