THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 23, 1994 TAG: 9406230430
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Medium
DATELINE: 940623 LENGTH:
To fund the habitat, donors, including a score or more of Exxon retailers in Hampton Roads and hundreds of schoolchildren across eastern Virginia, raised more than $200,000, which the city of Norfolk matched.
{REST} Suddenly, Shaka Khan and Shere Khan, cubs only yesterday, it seems, are on their way to becoming mature cats weighing upwards of 400 pounds, animal supervisor Louise Hill said Wednesday at the zoo in Norfolk at 3500 Granby St.
In their bright orange, black-striped pelts - fire blazing behind grates - they are among the most graceful creatures.
In the heat of the day, they retire to their cool lair, but early Wednesday they were batting around a 20-pound ice ball fabricated by freezing a water-filled balloon and then peeling away the covering. It looked like a huge snowball.
The sisters play with it as if they are tabbies with a ball of yarn, pawing it, sloshing around in a mock battle for it in their pool.
And they purr like kittens, too, when they catch the scent on Hill's clothing of her golden retriever, with which they were raised when they came to the zoo at a week old nearly two years ago.
Federal agents confiscated the two from a breeder who had sold them illegally across state lines. Zoo officials were jubilant at the prospect of harboring them.
While the two were cubs, the retriever visited them in the zoo. As they grew to 100 pounds, they continued to climb on the retriever's back as they had done as cubs, and, suddenly, the retriever couldn't cope with the biggest cats any dog ever encountered. Visits ceased.
Hilarity rather than formality will keynote Saturday's ceremonies. After city officials have turned the dirt, a costumed Exxon tiger will jump aboard a Bob Cat bulldozer to grade the exhibit area.
WCMS Radio will provide entertainment, including a dunking pool for disc jockeys There will be face painting, games and food.
Zoo docents will have a touch table and animals, from llamas to snakes, for children to pet. Melissa Bagwell, Miss Norfolk, will autograph photos from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Sunday at 2 p.m., Regina Marscheider's ``Spectrum Puppets'' will give a performance, ``Animal Crackers.'' Visitors Saturday and Sunday will receive free zoo-cat posters. Those 18 and over may sign up to win one of two sets of four Continental Airline tickets.
Somewhere along the line, Shaka and Shere surely ought to receive a treat. A snow ball.
by CNB