---

ATTLEBORO - He's not just "the white lion," now.

He's Ramses.

Ramses is the name voters picked from a slate of eight possibilities for Capron Park Zoo's rare white lion, which was unveiled to the public in April.

The 2-year-old male lion came from a wildlife preserve in South Africa and is one of the few on exhibit in the United States.

The Sun Chronicle, McDonald's restaurants and the zoo sponsored the naming contest. Ramses, is the name of ancient Egyptian kings, and means "sun born." The name garnered 194 votes, just three ahead of Mulalo, a name that means "peace."

Voting took place on The Sun Chronicle Web site and in elementary schools around the city.

Zoo Director Jean Benchimol said Ramses was put on the list at the suggestion of her brother, Rick Benchimol, who lives in Florida.

She didn't believe voters would go for it, but added it at his insistence.

"It was ahead from the beginning, and just took off," Benchimol said of the name.

Once the name of Egyptian kings, Benchimol said the name is fitting for the king of the jungle.

"He is a regal animal," she said.

Friends of Capron Park Zoo and McDonald's combined resources to pay to bring Ramses to the zoo.

McDonald's is also paying for a large billboard near the water treatment plant to advertise Ramses.

The order of finish for the other names were: Tebogo, 161 votes; Dakari, 157 votes; Luke, 151 votes; Mashudu, 139 votes; Kirby, 129 votes; and Kruger, 78 votes. Kirby was put on the list by Sun Chronicle employees in honor of Editor Mike Kirby.

Of the 1,200 votes, 641 were cast online and 559 were cast by paper ballots in the schools.