A baby born just before midnight on Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday has been named after the environmentalist.
Ambrose Attenborough Whyte was born at 11.58pm on May 8, weighing 7lb 5oz, and his proud parents said they wanted to honour the legendary broadcaster in their own way.
Dad Stephen Whyte, 35, and his partner Lauren Evans, 27, have both been fans of Sir David their whole lives – so much so that they have now named their baby after him.
He said that when the couple were younger, they would watch Sir David’s documentaries with their parents.
The parents had an induction appointment scheduled for Lauren on May 7, and it was only when labour began that Lauren realised the baby might be born on Sir David’s birthday.
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Stephen, from Powys, Wales, said: ‘It wasn’t until the morning of the 8th that she mentioned that it was David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and it’d be really cool if our son was born on the same day.
‘I suggested that if he was born, then we should give him the middle name of “Attenborough” in honour of the conservationist.
‘With Lauren’s hard work and the help of the surgeons, our baby was delivered by forceps at 11:58pm – it was so close to being the 9th that we just had to.’
They said they decided in the moment at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford to name their son Attenborough as they had another name in mind.
Stephen said: ‘It was completely spur of the moment. We had another name in mind which we’d picked months in advance – not sure if I should say in case we have another one and want to use it for them instead – but we changed it at the last minute.’
As animal and nature lovers who grew up watching Sir David’s documentaries, they felt that it just made sense.
He added: ‘We definitely owe at least some of our love of animals to his documentaries; we both love nature and animals.
‘We have some cats at the moment, but hope that one day, when we own a house, we can get some more; maybe even have a small olding with some farm animals.’
Stephen said he hopes that, like them, their son grows up to be fan of Sir David’s work.
He added: ‘We’re hoping to minimise screen time, but when he’s a little older, we’re planning on showing him the odd nature documentary.
‘So hopefully he’ll be a fan of David Attenborough from a young age and show an interest in wildlife the way we have.
‘I really hope he can make even a fraction of the impact in the world which David Attenborough has.’
He also has an older sister, Lyra, who’s four and adores animals.
She has her own pet tarantulas, some lizards, and a snake.
Stephen said: ‘I really hope both of them grow up with that love of animals and continue to grow their interest in the natural world. But whatever they choose to do, I know I’ll be extremely proud of them both.
‘We’d just like to express our gratitude to David Attenborough for his decades of work to educate the world on the beauty of the natural world and for playing a significant role in protecting and conserving it.’
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