A young cougar who lost her mother and couldn’t hunt for herself found a safe haven at Center Valley Animal Rescue in Quilcene, WA. She was so weak and hungry that she crawled into an empty kennel and curled up in the hay. She weighed only 34 pounds, half of what she should have been at the age of 10 months.

Staring At Death and Revival

This baby cougar was close to dying, but the staff at the rescue center didn’t give up on her. They fed her chicken and small animals to help her gain weight and strength. After ten days, she had added ten pounds and showed signs of life and spirit. She even tore up the plastic siding of her cage, proving that she was a wild cat at heart.

A Wild Cat

The cougar still couldn’t survive in the wild, because she didn’t know how to hunt. She needed a place where she could live as a cougar, but also be taken care of by humans. The rescue center contacted Cameron Park Zoo in Texas, a natural habitat park that had another young female cougar who needed a companion. 

New Home

They agreed to take her in and give her a new home and a new sister. The rescue center was happy to find a good solution for the cougar, although they usually try to return animals to the wild. Their original objective is returning wild animals to their natural habitat, however, for this cougar, a good captive facility that can provide its needs is the next best option. 

What an amazing rescue center the Center Valley Animal Rescue is!

Photos via https://www.instagram.com/center_valley_animal_rescue