A wolverine by any other name...
Monday, June 13, 2005
cortneyandjon in Zoo

...would smell as sweet? We heard that the Detroit Zoo was renaming its newborn wolverine kits, yielding to pressure from numerous Michigan sports fans. As a joke, the zoo-keeper (a Michigan State grad) had originally called them "Sparty" and "Bucky" after the mascots of Michigan's chief rivals, Michigan State and Ohio State. After a flood of e-mails and phone calls from offended visitors, the zoo changed their names to Tamarack and Tilia, the names of Michigan trees. A respectable change, though not nearly so distinctive. Michigan fans obviously take their sports very seriously.
We have yet to see the wolverine kits for ourselves, although we have heard a full-grown wolverine scampering around in the moat around his habitat. Perhaps we will see them this weekend as we visit in order to see the new rhinos!

Article originally appeared on Cortney and Jon Ophoff's Family Site (http://www.theophoffs.com/).
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