The good news from Southwick’s Zoo is that “Medusa” from Greek methology is being offered as a featured attraction during this year’s Festival of Illumination, which is well underway with a “Once Upon a Time” theme involving forgotten stories, myths, legends and fairytales from around the globe—presented by the Zigong Lantern Group.

Also, a Harvest Festival on October 23rd added to the highlights of the fall season at the zoo.

Beginning November 12th, the zoo’s annual Winter Wonderland holiday lights’ display and the Festival of Illumination will come together for a show-stopping experience for visitors to the zoo—through December 31st.

Galliford’s Restaurant & Tavern will be open as will the Purple Peacock gift shop.

Unfortunately, Southwick’s has also been hit with some sad news. Mowgli, the zoo’s  beloved nineteen-year-old African leopard, passed away peacefully on October 18th.

“Mowgli was a favorite among visitors at Southwick’s Zoo and holds a special place in the hearts of all, including our zookeepers and staff,” Southwick’s announced.

While Mowgli was not born at Southwick’s, he sent almost his entire life in Mendon. At birth, he was weak and needed intensive care and so was brought to Southwick’s to be hand-raised by Betsey Brewer Bethel and the facility’s zookeepers. “He grew into one of the mellowest, yet regal cats [we] have had the pleasure of caring for,” Ms. Brewer Bethel said. “Right until the end of his life he had a close bond with his keepers, who used a specially designed tool regularly to provide the ear, back and belly scratches that he so enjoyed.”

With the arrival of Mowgli, a new suitable habitat needed to be built. The zoo and EARTH Ltd., its nonprofit affiliate, used this opportunity to design a STEM education initiative for women. They partnered with middle school girls, female college science students and a number of women architects, engineers and exhibit designers in a kind of “designer’s challenge” competition to craft an exhibit for the zoo’s new African leopard.

Students from all over the area participated by helping to raise money. Ms. Brewer Bethel remembers a time when Medway elementary students were stopping cars at traffic lights to collect coins to build Mowgli’s home. “It was one of the most heartwarming gestures I have ever seen,” she said. “However, I did tell the students that I would help them in other ways because that wasn’t the safest way to raise money.”

In addition to being a fun project for all involved, the girls who took part scored better on a standardized test of science and engineering concepts than did a control group of their peers. These girls also showed improved attitudes towards math and science. When the project was presented at the International Zoo Educators 2010 conference, several attendees asked if the zoo knew where the students were now. “We found our participants through social media platforms. Of the girls who had originally participated we were able to connect with half of them. Of those who responded, a little over half were now studying in a math, science, technology or engineering field. All of them stated that the project had a long-term impact on their confidence and on their ability to work both as members of a team and as team leaders. Still others explained that their participation in the project led them to their career goals in science.”

African leopards like Mowgli are the most widespread cat species, living throughout most of the continent. “In the wild, leopards can live eleven to twelve years, but as few as 35% of the cubs survive the first year,” Ms. Brewer Bethel said. “They have adapted to a wide variety of habitats and can be found from the desert to the rainforest. They use stealth to capture their prey and then climb up a tree to hide from other predators, such as lions and hyenas.”

Southwick’s Festival of Illumination, in full swing, exhibits such luminous characters as Medusa, one of three monstrous Gorgons—winged human females with venomous snakes for hair—who could turn those who looked into their eyes into stone.