Oregon Zoo visitors might glimpse two new furry faces this week. A pair of orphaned cougar cubs, rescued and brought to the zoo by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff in November, have begun exploring their outdoor habitat. The brother-and-sister pair, named Link and Nova by care staff, are settling in well after a rocky start to life.
“Cougars stay with their moms for at least a year in the wild, so these cubs wouldn’t have survived on their own,” said Jen Osburn Eliot, who oversees the zoo’s Great Northwest area. “Care staff are giving Link and Nova a lot of time to feel comfortable in their new home, and it’s going really well so far.”
The young cougars have had access to their outdoor habitat for a few weeks, but the area has been closed to zoo visitors until yesterday. Now that the cubs are ready, care staff and volunteers are bringing in small groups to see them from the public viewing area.
“They’re getting bigger all the time, but they’re still cubs, which means they love to play,” Osburn Eliot said. “Nova is usually the first to explore a new area, and once she decides it’s OK, Link joins right in.”
Although the littermates look similar, Link is larger at around 70 pounds. His sister Nova weighs just over 50 pounds. And according to Osburn Eliot, there’s another way for visitors to tell them apart: Nova has a pink nose, and Link’s nose is black.
Weekday visitors to the zoo may catch a glimpse of the cougar cubs in small groups. The area is closed on weekends for now, but eventually the habitat will be open every day.
Cougars — also known as mountain lions, pumas, catamounts and (in Florida) panthers — range throughout southwest Canada, the western United States and South America. With the exception of the Florida panthers, cougars are not listed as endangered, but they do face many challenges due to human encroachment and habitat destruction.
The Oregon Zoo is home to many animals that were found orphaned or injured in the wild. From sea otters to black bears, these “second chance” residents serve as ambassadors for their species, helping to educate visitors and raise awareness on behalf of their wild counterparts.
Source: Oregon Zoo