PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Zoo recently performed a medical checkup on an exceptionally adorable patient.
An orphaned cougar cub made a brief stop at the Portland-based zoo’s medical center this week. The 8-week-old male was rescued by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife after being found alone on a logging road outside of Spokane.
“Without a mother, young cougars can’t survive on their own in the wild, so I work to find them good homes,” said Oregon Zoo keeper Michelle Schireman. “We would rather they grow up with their moms, but when that’s not an option we want them to have the best lives possible.”
The WDFW contacted the Oregon Zoo to coordinate a checkup for the cub before he’s taken to his new home at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado.
“In most cases, we try to arrange for orphaned cubs to go directly to their new homes,” Schireman said. “But in special situations, and depending on whether we have space, we sometimes take care of them at the zoo until their health has stabilized. It’s a lot to ask of our staff, but everyone here is incredibly dedicated to helping wildlife. Our vet staff and keepers took shifts to make sure the little guy received around-the-clock care.”
Schireman also serves as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ species coordinator for cougars. She’s worked to find homes for over 150 cougar cubs in zoos across the country, but she usually doesn’t get to see the cubs she helps. This little cat was, of course, an exception.
The Oregon Zoo remains closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’d like to help out the zoo during the closure, you can visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/donate.
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