Common Name: Cougar
Scientific Name: Puma concolor
Conservation Status: Least Concern
At the zoo: Rocket (male, 7y) and Rosie (female, 7y). You'll find them at the N/E corner of the zoo across from Conservation Corner.
Habitat:
Cougars are found in a wide range of habitats including forests, shrubland, grassland, and deserts throughout western North America and South America.
Diet:
Carnivorous - deer, porcupine, beaver, hare, moose, elk, wild sheep, mountain goats, black bear cubs, grouse
Life Expectancy: 20 years
Biology:
Cougars are large cats with short fur ranging in colour from reddish-brown to grey-brown with light underparts. The kittens are spotted with ringed tails. They weigh 29-129 kilograms and measure 1.5 - 2.75 meters long from nose to tip of tail.
Native to North, Central, and South America, cougars are the most widely distributed mammals in the western hemisphere and are found in a wide range of habitats. Despite their conservation status, cougars are threatened with habitat loss and fragmentation, especially where urbanization is accelerating.
Reduce attracting cougars to residential areas by keeping pets and pet food indoors at night, removing bird feeders in the spring, and installing an electric fence around chickens and small livestock.
Fun Fact:
The cougar is the largest of the three wild cats in Canada (the other two are lynx and bobcat).
More about Rocket and Rosie:
Rocket was originally transported to the zoo by members of the Conservation Officer Service from the Chilcotin region in January 2018. He was found as a cub underneath someone's porch emaciated with frostbitten ears. He had been trying to survive on his own for awhile after having lost his mother. The GVZoo Animal Health Team was able to nurse him back to full health. Rosie was nursed back to health at the Invermere Veterinary Hospital where she was taken after being hit by a car and sustaining major head trauma.
Rocket and Rosie reside here at GVZoo as ambassador animals. Having lost their mothers who teach them critical survival skills and suffering injuries in the wild prior to rescue , they are not candidates for re-release.
When Rosie was introduced to Rocket we were so thrilled to see them immediately bond. You can usually find them snuggled up together somewhere in their enclosure with their faces pressed up against each other, cheek to cheek.
