Two Southwest Washington natives have found a new home in Oregon — at the zoo.
Orphaned cougar cub siblings — a male and a female — have been settling in at the Oregon Zoon after being rescued by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The pair were taken to the zoo after staff determined they wouldn’t survive on their own in the wild.
“We’re so happy we can provide a home for these cubs,” Jen Osburn Eliot, who oversees the zoo’s Great Northwest area, said in a statement. “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. They’re still shy with people, so we’re giving them time to adjust and explore their new home.”
Video of the cubs, who are about 4 months old weigh about 20 pounds — double that of the average house cat — shows them playing and exploring the enclosure they share. The cubs — who don’t have names yet — are being cared for by zoo medical staff.
“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.