The Chattanooga Zoo has added a new fuzzy friend to the Zoo family — Finnegan the fennec fox mascot!
Finnegan is the first mascot in Chattanooga Zoo history, and he will make appearances on Zoo grounds, at most of the Zoo’s special events and at birthday parties with the “Safari Party” package.
“We are always looking for ways to make the Zoo even more fun, and we think guests will really love meeting Finnegan,” said Darde Long, president and CEO of Chattanooga Zoo. “Fennec foxes have been a guest favorite since 2010 when Sophie, our first of the species, came to live in our Deserts of the World building. She started a long tradition of love for fennec foxes in Chattanooga, so we thought that the species would be an excellent choice to represent the Zoo as our mascot.”
Currently Chattanooga Zoo has five fennec foxes on exhibit — Dandelion, Daisy, Maximus, Augustus and Quinterious. The males go by Max, Gus and Quin for short.
Fennec foxes are the smallest of all canids, usually weighing between two and three pounds. They live in North Africa, hunting grasshoppers, locusts, small rodents, lizards and even birds in sandy deserts and other arid regions. They have the largest ears relative to body size of any member of the canid family, and they use their ears to dispel heat and track prey moving beneath the sand.
Finnegan the fennec fox was handmade by Kate Gore, an animal care supervisor at Chattanooga Zoo who is also accomplished at sewing, crafting and puppet-making, among other skills.
The mascot was named Finnegan through a voting contest among Chattanooga Zoo staff.
Finnegan will sporadically walk Zoo grounds and visit Zoo programs like Summer Camp for photos and meet and greets, and he has also become part of the Zoo’s birthday party packages. The Safari Party option now includes a 20-minute private visit from the Zoo’s new mascot. Birthday parties can be booked online at chattzoo.org/events/birthday-parties.
Finnegan will also visit special events at Chattanooga Zoo like Hug a Bunny, which is coming up on April 3 and 4. At the event, guests will pet lots of rabbits across Zoo grounds, meet the Easter Bunny, jump in the bounce house, see behind-the-scenes animals, enjoy spring-themed crafts and much more. Hug a Bunny tickets can be purchased at chattzoo.org/events/hug-a-bunny.
Chattanooga Zoo is home to over 500 animals representing roughly 150 different species. The Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Learn more about the Zoo and get your tickets at chattzoo.org.