A pair of orphaned cougar cubs have joined the Oregon Zoo in Portland.
The cubs, a male and female littermate, were found wandering on their own in Southwest Washington. State wildlife staff determined the cubs wouldn’t survive on their own and rescued them.
The cubs, which are around 4 months old, are now being cared for by the Oregon Zoo’s veterinary team. The cubs will eventually move into the Great Northwest exhibit when they are old enough.
In a news release announcing the cub’s arrival, Northwest Area supervisor Jen Osburn Eliot said her team was doing their best to help the pair adapt to their new home.
“We wish they could’ve grown up with their mom, but since that’s not possible we’ll be doing everything we can for them,” she said.
Osburn Eliot said the cubs normally would have been by their mother’s side for a full year and the team is keeping them out of the public eye while they adjust.
“The cubs aren’t ready to venture out yet, but we’re getting the habitat prepared for a lot of activity once they are,” Osburn Eliot said. We’re giving these two all the time they need to feel safe and comfortable in their new home.”
That exhibit’s previous occupant, Paiute, was also an orphaned cougar and died earlier this year at the age of 15.
