NW Missouri Times

Bobby Bearcat has a new friend in the state’s animal kingdom through Northwest Missouri State University’s support of a partnership to provide critical care and rehabilitate loggerhead turtles.

“The Northwest community knows Bobby Bearcat as a spirit leader and goodwill ambassador for our campus,” said Brandon Stanley, Northwest’s assistant vice president of marketing and communication. “We are proud to extend our Northwest pride through this partnership and highlight the incredible work being done to rehabilitate these animals.”

A loggerhead turtle named Bobby – so named in honor of Northwest’s mascot – now inhabits Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium (WOW) in Springfield, Missouri, as part of a partnership involving the aquarium, Northwest, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Turtles Fly Too.

"This is Bobby, a loggerhead turtle named in honor of Northwest's mascot through a partnership with Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium," shared in a submitted photo.

When temperatures drop each winter, hundreds of endangered sea turtles wash up on land and face life-threatening illnesses. WOW, recognized as the only sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation center in the Midwest, has been initiating the project for the fourth consecutive year. During that time, the facility has provided critical care for 30 loggerhead sea turtles before releasing them back into the wild.

This year, WOW is connecting with the state’s colleges and universities to name the turtles and serve as exclusive partners in the rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Each partner school has a turtle named in its honor.

For more information and updates about Bobby and the other sea turtles in WOW’s care, visit the aquarium's website.