Taylor Decker saw penguins from Africa and cheetahs and leopards and lions. It was all part of his job at the Columbus Zoo, where he spent two summers interning as he learned how to work with and care for animals.
And on Friday, the Zoo gave him a pretty big honor: naming two baby clouded leopards after their intern-turned-NFL draft pick.
The Detroit Free Press reported the zoo named one clouded leopard “Taylor” and the other “Decker” in honor of the 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive tackle.
“I’ve raised them and I’ve never named them,” Suzi Rapp, the vice president of animal programs, told the Free Press.