Workers at New York's Central Park Zoo said they named a baby lamb born during Hurricane Irene preparations Irene Hope.

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Susan Cardillo, assistant curator of the zoo, said zookeepers showed up early Saturday to prepare the facility for the coming storm and discovered the 8-pound newborn lamb next to its mother, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"We thought she was going to have a baby in the spring and no baby came," Cardillo said of the ewe.

"We don't expect a baby in late August," she added. "This is very unusual."

Cardillo said the zookeepers created a private stall in the zoo's stable, which serves as emergency shelter for the animals, to allow Irene Hope and her mother, Truffle, to bond in private.

"We saw nursing right away," Cardillo said. "We just needed to keep them safe from the storm."

The zookeepers said the lamb officially went on display to the public Thursday.