"no greater compliment"

In the world of zoos, there is no greater compliment than having an animal named after you. So it was little surprise to find a rare snow leopard cub frolicking at the Los Angeles Zoo in early 2007 named Tom — after Tom Mankiewicz, the chairman of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn., the institution's fundraising arm.

"I thought it was perfect," recalled Gail Oppenheimer, who with her husband, Jerry, donated substantially to the zoo, earning them naming privileges.

Oppenheimer named one cub Jerry, after her husband, and the other Tom, after their close friend who had persuaded them to be generous donors.

"He loved it," Oppenheimer said. "He thought it was hilarious."