Clouded Leopard Cubs Named
We were sad to learn last week that Kenneth, the Point Defiance Zoo’s oldest polar bear, had to be put down. At 27, Kenneth was old for a polar bear in the wild, and had quite an interesting life. He came to Tacoma after being seized from a Mexican travelling circus in Puerto Rico. He was quite the world traveller. Kenneth’s passing is a sad reminder that life isn’t all rebirth and kittens. But, to lighten the mood, and to get you through your Monday, we have a little reminder that sometimes life is kittens and new things.
The latest additions to the Point Defiance Zoo’s clouded leopard family have been named after a vote by the public on several naming options. The Zoo gave the public a choice of four names for each of the two cubs, all taken from the language of the leopards’ native Southeast Asia When the voting ended, the cubs were named Chận sūng (pronounced Chan-Soon), or “Noble” for the male, and Suksn (Sook-Son), or “Mischievous” for the female. We look forward to seeing how those names fit as they grow.
For an extra dose of Monday kitties, here’s a video, courtesy of PDZA, of the newly named Chận sūng enjoying a chin scratch…
Previously from Exit133: Help Name the New Clouded Leopard Cubs
Filed under: Point Defiance Zoo, Parks
13 comments
F fredo April 23, 2012
The zoo ignored my suggested names which also reflected southeast asia:
“Mi Lov U”
“Long Time”
J jd April 23, 2012
And just in case anyone was curious about whether or not Fredo’s a racist, in addition to some of his other comments, I present this little gem. I’d like to think that he’s simply a caricature in the vein of Steve Carell’s Michael Scott on ‘The Office’, but I doubt it. He thinks he’s funny, but he’s just mean.
C Christine April 23, 2012
I wanted to name them Pookie and Snugglums, but those aren’t names befitting sleek, adult Clouded Leopards. (They will always be Pookie and Snugglums to me!)
F fredo April 23, 2012
My comment wasn’t for you jd, just ignore anything labeled fredo and you won’t have to respond to my postings.
J jd April 23, 2012
God knows I’ve tried, Fredo… God knows I’ve tried. The problem is, you keep tossing up these big, fat hanging curve-balls just begging to be responded to. There’s nothing wrong with a little banter (even heated dicussion is entertaining and sometimes educational), but you don’t get to be mean, just for the sake of being mean, and not expect to get called out on it. Same thing with being negative, misleading, or bullying. Obviously, you can say whatever’s on your mind, but it’s probably gonna get a response from me. Apparently, I’m the yang to your yin.
F fredo April 23, 2012
JD, you called me out for being racist but you failed to call out the Zoo for being racist. They insisted that the name be reflective of Asian type names. Not only was the Zoo “contest” racist on its face, it was also gender biased. they chose a name for the male which showed a high level of refinement while the female got a name which means mischief. I guess the racism/sexism at the zoo is OK with you!
J jd April 23, 2012
Dog gone it! I have to say you really let me down on this one, Fredo. I’d expected so much more from you.
OK, let’s see here…the Leopards are from Asia, hence the crazy idea for the Asian names. Your racism comment doesn’t fly. And the names are totally interchangable and asexual character traits. If the names had been reversed, and the male bestowed with a name that meant mischievous, and the female named for her nobility, you’d have said the same thing. Your sexism comment doesn’t even begin to get off the ground.
On the other hand, the name choices you came up with are from a scene in a movie, spoken by an underaged Viet Namese prostitute. This line has since become synonymous with the most extreme and negative stereotypes toward Asian women.
I’ve gotta say, you reached a little far with this one, and let us all down. Definitely not your best effort.
F fredo April 23, 2012
“I’ve gotta say, you reached a little far with this one, and let us all down” jd
Who is “us”…all the past, current and future readers of the exit133 blog? Interesting that you’ve been appointed to speak on their behalf.
C Christine April 23, 2012
Holy moley, we’re talking about naming some neat Asian cats with names from where they originated and it turns into a heated argument? They are Asian tree cats, people! Tacoma is proud to be part of bringing the population up and naming them cutsie words from the language of their native lands is part of that. Perhaps future clouded leopard cubs can be named the Thai equivalent of “Chair” or “Railing” or “Toaster” so as to not be controversial.
Sheesh.
F fredo April 24, 2012
good post Christine, but blogs devoid of controversery are a giant bore.
I have an idea. Lets have a contest to name ALL the creatures at the zoo. If the creature comes from latin america we can choose from Jose and Philipina, if they come from Russia we can choose from Ivan and Ivana, and if they come from Africa we can choose from DaeQaun and JayQuan. In any case the name should always conform to the country of origin. Hey ET the walrus came from outer space didn’t he?
C Christine April 24, 2012
Agreed, controversy in blogs is needed, but it is also topical. There are political stories in this blog that certainly merit controversy, and like any story source out there, whether it be newspaper, magazine or blog, there are the happy fluff stories such as leopard kittens and pound dogs and cats for adoption. A person should be able to tell the difference and place the controversy where it is merited.
I like reading the back and forth on the real controversal issues, but when controversy enters a fluff story, it shows that the contributors are more concerned about their ego battles than the subject. (And that’s not directed at only one person here.)
J jd April 24, 2012
Good point Christine. I’ll be the first to admit that I sometimes get caught up in debating the comments, rather than addressing the original post. I guess it’s my ADLAS (Attention Deficit…Look! A Sqirrel). People are probably thinking, “Oh brother, here they go again”. The original post deserves our thoughtful comments, not petty bickering…although though to be perfectly honest, it IS awfully fun
F fredo April 24, 2012
I don’t see anything wrong with a blog discussion going off in a sort of unexpected direction. An internet blog is essentially the modern equivalent of some folks meeting at the general store or barber shop and chewing the fat for a while.
If you think about it, the zoo’s naming contest exposed elements of both racism and sexism and therefore invited a discussion along these lines. And humor, even of the sort that some people don’t find funny is a good way to broach the subjects.