POCATELLO — A ferocious and fuzzy cougar kitten officially received her name, Roxanne, at a ceremony held in her honor at Zoo Idaho on Friday.

Dozens of area residents gathered outside the young cougar’s enclosure at noon Friday for the public naming ceremony, capping a fundraising contest that drew about 600 votes at $5 apiece and raised roughly $3,000 for renovations to her exhibit.

“I think this zoo is beautiful,” said Mark Dahlquist, Pocatello mayor. “It’s in a great setting. You guys keep up the grounds really well and do great work. It’s really a pleasure to be here.”

The honor of announcing the name went to a local youth named Caleb Gumm, who was serving as mayor for the day. Caleb announced the winning name, Roxanne, from a bench overlooking the crowd. The other finalist names were Purrsephone and Clawdia.

The naming came nearly a month after Roxanne’s arrival, a delay Zoo Director Peter Pruett said was deliberate. Zoo staff wanted to be certain she would survive before making any public announcement.

Roxanne’s path to Zoo Idaho wasn’t easy, and as an emergency rescue, she endured months of hardship. Her journey to Pocatello began in February, when Wyoming Game and Fish contacted Pruett about two cougar kittens that trappers were trying to capture near Afton, Wyoming.

Zoo Idaho had recently lost its older resident cougar, Sinbad, to age-related illness and had reached out to wildlife agencies across the region to express that it had space for up to two cougars.

When trappers succeeded, Zoo Idaho staff drove to Wyoming to retrieve two kittens. By the end of that same day, Pruett received word of two more kittens found in the same area. With no space for a third, let alone a fourth, he began contacting the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ felid taxonomic advisory group to find appropriate accommodations elsewhere in the country.

Within 24 hours, the situation would grow dire for the litter of cougar kittens. The trappers were able to catch the remaining two kittens, but one was severely emaciated and had to be euthanized.

Zoo Idaho took in the third kitten. Within two days, veterinary staff at Alpine Animal Hospital determined that all three kittens had contracted feline distemper, a virus that is often fatal in young cats but is rare in adults. Two of the three kittens died almost immediately.

The cougar kitten who survived, the feisty and fortuitous feline Roxanne, required intensive round-the-clock care and dedicated overtime hours from Zoo Idaho’s keeping staff, work that Pruett credited with saving her life.

“They spent a tremendous amount of time and effort working with our new cougar kit,” Pruett said. “She made it. She survived. I can’t really thank the staff enough for what they’ve been able to do, and our veterinary staff at Alpine was just fantastic. Anytime these guys had a question or any needs, Alpine was right there to help them out.”

Roxanne is still being gradually introduced to her exhibit and to zoo visitors to give her time to acclimate and feel at home in her new space.

She currently has access to an indoor holding area as well as the outdoor space, and keepers say she has been exploring cautiously. Zoo staff also remarked that Roxanne is eating with more regular consistency now and are optimistic about her recovery and growth.

Funds raised through the naming contest are going directly into renovating her enclosure. Improvements completed so far include work on the exhibit’s lower level, with additional upgrades planned, including added tin-paneled shade structures, the conversion of an existing pool into a waterfall feature, and filling in remaining concrete areas with dirt to create more natural terrain.

Pruett said Zoo Idaho does not purchase or breed animals, likening the zoo to an animal rescue facility. The zoo works with Idaho Fish and Game and neighboring state agencies to take in animals that can no longer survive in the wild. Anyone who encounters an injured or orphaned wild animal is urged to contact their regional Fish and Game office, which makes the determination on whether an animal can be brought into captivity.

Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, once had the largest range of any land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, stretching from northern Canada to the southern tip of South America.

Zoo staff say the species is most active at dawn and dusk. Despite their reputation, cougars are typically elusive ambush predators that avoid confrontation with humans except when protecting kittens, though hikers and nature enthusiasts should always exercise caution when moving through cougar habitat.

“There’s a good chance if you’re out and about using our trail system, there’s been cougars that have seen you,” Pruett said.

For a chance to see Roxanne in her enclosure, visit Zoo Idaho, 3000 S. Second Ave., in Pocatello.