New Lives For Cougar Cubs Found Abandoned In South Dakota

South Dakota's loss is Florida's gain.

A pair of 10-week-old cougar cubs, abandoned by their mother in South Dakota, have found a new home at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford.

The siblings were found in April in the Black Hills without their mother at only two or three weeks old. They were determined to be too young to be returned to the wild, so the zoo was contacted to provide them with care and a permanent home.

During their 30-day quarantine, the cubs will be monitored by Zoo veterinarians, including behaviors such as making small climbs, scratching through the substrate, and calling to one another when startled. These natural behaviors are important indicators of healthy development.

Once they are deemed healthy, the cubs will be named and introduced to Zoo guests later this year.

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