The Micke Grove Zoo is inviting the public to participate in a naming contest for the Zoo’s newest addition, a young and exuberant male bobcat. The contest opens January 28 and closes March 31, 2014. The contest is hosted on the zoo’s website,
www.mgzoo.com, although entries will be accepted in the zoo gift shop on the weekends during regular zoo hours. No fee or purchase is required to enter a name idea, although participants are encouraged to submit a donation in order to directly benefit the cat.
The creator of the winning submission will win a large bobcat puppet and a private meal for five in front of the bobcat’s enclosure, a gift sponsored by the Micke Grove Zoological Society. All of the zoo staff and volunteers will be directly involved in reviewing the entries and selecting a winner.
“A winning entry will follow the rules posted on the contest page, be creative, and suit the cat’s natural history, personality, or cultural value and connections. Having said that, contest participants are encouraged to come spend time watching the bobcat and ask staff questions for some inspiration,” suggested Allison Meador, Director of Conservation Education for the Micke Grove Zoological society.
The bobcat went on exhibit earlier this month and has quickly become a very popular attraction. The cat had been living at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (SWCC) in Scottsdale, AZ after being rescued as a kitten by a private wildlife rehabilitator. Having initially been housed in close proximity to humans, the young bobcat is now far too habituated to people to be returned to the wild, a condition that could pose a risk both to him and to the humans he would encounter. At Micke Grove Zoo, the cat serves as an important ambassador for educational discussions on keeping wildlife “wild”, conservation issues, and North American animals and habitats.
Micke Grove Zoo is located within Micke Grove Regional Park at 11793 N. Micke Grove Road in Lodi, California. Zoo admission is $5 for individuals 14 and up, $3 for children 3-13, and free for children 2 and under and members of the Micke Grove Zoological Society. For more information about the Zoo, please visit the zoo website at www.mgzoo.com. For more information about San Joaquin County parks, including parking fees, please visit www.sjparks.com.