In a landslide vote by more public participants than ever before, the Buffalo Zoo’s new baby ocelot has been named Nico.
The chance to vote for the name of the male ocelot kitten drew more engagement from the public than any naming contest the zoo has had in recent years. 8,143 votes were cast for four names based on the native regions of ocelots. Buffalo Zoo Director of Marketing Todd Geise said, in the end, the contest was a landslide.
“The second-place finish was Tacito who had 1,500 votes, for 18 percent of the vote, followed by Pablo and Javiar. But, by far, the resounding choice from the general public with a close 68.8 percent or 4,700 votes in favor of Nico. So that was no questions asked.”
There are no restricted hours on when Nico will be available for viewing by the public in the zoo’s Rainforest Falls exhibit. However, ocelots are among a number of animals at the zoo that have the freedom to return to their holding area whenever they choose. Geise said the zoo is hopeful Nico will choose to go out and about on view in the habitat every day.
Parents Ayla and Pedro are reported to be doing well since Nico’s birth in November 2016. However, Nico has yet to meet his father, a practice which is not atypical for the zoo’s feline species.
“If you recall with our lion, just a little bit of time before the lion cubs met their father, Tiberius,” said Geise. “So in this case, there’s full awareness. But the mother, Ayla, has once again proven to be an excellent mother. As a matter of fact, we were a little nervous this morning with the naming because she was not letting him out into the habitat. But at the very last moment, she got up the courage and everybody went into the habitat for the general public to see.”
Nico is the second kitten born to Ayla and Pedro. The first came in 2013 with a kitten who departed the zoo as part of the Species Survival Plan, sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“Every birth is tracked and, therefore, based on the genes and the breeding recommendations animals will be shifted from one zoo to the other in order to perpetuate the species,” Geise explained.
Geise estimates that at just over eight weeks old, Nico can be expected to remain at the Buffalo Zoo for at least the next couple of years. Right now, Nico is adapting to his habitat and going through normal stages of development. Like most young cats, he is learning the lesson that his tail is an important feature in staying upright.
“When we look at even domestic cats, and we look at how they can balance on very thin objects or things like that, the tail is used to help with the balance,” said Geise. “So he’s still kind of learning how to make use of that. So he’s doing a little bit of slipping and falling and rolling around, and being all cute in the process. Of course, he’s not hurting himself – he can’t really climb yet.”
Ocelots are native to both South America where the population is strong, and regions of the Southwest United States where researchers estimate less than 100 exist in the wild.
“From the United States perspective they are exceptionally endangered in terms of our home species of it, while the Brazilian ocelot – which is what we have – actually has healthy population numbers,” said Geise. “But I think it’s always important to wonder, if we’re starting to see a decline in a relative close geographic proximity, will that ultimately end up in the South American region as well. So time will tell.”
Nico – who is of the Brazilian ocelot sub-species – will continue to be on display daily during regular zoo hours and, while there aren’t any special promotions or activities centered around him, Geise said every day will be special as zoo visitors and staff watch him grow.
The zoo continues to push its larger promotional effort to make sure the community knows it remains open year-round – especially in winter. Ongoing now is its “Polar Bear Days” promotion – offering $5 admission through the month of February. The zoo is also trying to attract visitors to participate in special activity days like January’s “Warm up with the Cold Blooded,” featuring the zoo’s reptiles and amphibians, and the upcoming “Cabin Fever Reliever” on January 28, featuring up-close meetings with some of the zoo’s residents.
Geise said the next bit of exciting news is that polar bear’s Luna and Sakari are expected to have their first “date” in February.
