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June 16, 2005
Groan
From today's Columbus Dispatch:
Names of zoo’s wolverines anger some fans up north
Thursday, June 16, 2005
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — Some University of Michigan backers weren’t amused to learn the Detroit Zoo’s baby wolverines had been given nicknames of rival Big Ten teams.
After receiving several dozen complaints, including threats to cancel memberships or reduce donations, the zoo renamed the 3½-month-old kits last week.
A zookeeper who graduated from Michigan State had named the kits Sparty — for the MSU mascot — and Bucky, either for the Wisconsin Badgers mascot or a variation on Ohio State Buckeyes.
"We got some e-mail and phone calls from zoo visitors and the general public who were deeply offended by the names," zoo spokeswoman Rana Kozouz told the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday. "So we changed the names to Tamarack and Tilia, the names of Michigan trees."
Yeah, I don't know. At least nobody tried to murder the offending wolverines.
Posted by oz115 at June 16, 2005 07:10 AM