Kima explores his remodeled digs.
The next time you travel down Big Cat Trail at the San Diego Zoo, be sure to check out our upgraded mountain lion, or cougar, habitat. Thanks to a generous donation, we were able to add features to the exhibit that should stimulate the lives of our cougars while improving the experience of our guests.
Our cougar exhibit is home to two animals: a male, Yakima or “Kima,” and a female, Koyama, or “Koya.” They both came to the Zoo after they were found orphaned in the wild at an age where they were much too young to care for themselves. Now they give our visitors a chance to experience cougars, which frequently roam the hills just east and north of San Diego.
Exhibiting cats can be very challenging. By nature, cats must be elusive in order to be a successful predator, and once they eat they rest for long periods to conserve energy for the next hunt. Although our cats get their meals hand delivered regularly, they still abide by these natural instincts. Therefore, when designing an exhibit we work to have the cats comfortable and acting natural while still being interesting and educating to our guests.
After the renovations, our cougars now have a rock arch to sun themselves and survey their surroundings, and an elevated ledge filled with substrate. Kima is especially fond of perching himself on top of the arch early in the day. Anchors to secure items such as femur bones or other toys were also installed. Plants were added to provide some privacy and also enhance the appearance of the exhibit. It seems someone forgot to tell the cougars this, as Koya has enjoyed using the plantings as toys! Fortunately, we predicted this behavior and have some extra plantings on standby in case the cougar’s rough play causes the demise of any of the new plants.
Be sure to come by the cougar exhibit on your next visit to get a new view of our cougars. I hope you will get an appreciation of this magnificent cat that lives in San Diego’s own backyard.
Todd Speis is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo. Read his previous post, A Jaguar Milestone.
A great blog, Todd! I’ve enjoyed watching the cats since they first arrived here as tiny, playfull kittens, and am so pleased with the new “furniture” and “decor” for the area. And I’m sure they are too!
Thanks, Todd. Sounds like a captive Cougar paradise.
Hello, This message for the San Diego Zoo, I won’t proclaim myself psychic, I don’t care if the public reads this, but it is very important to make sure to just check the lion’s cage and feed them well. I saw in one of my dreams that there was an earthquake and the lions got out, the second dream I was told the lions haven’t been fed. The people that work there are the ones in danger of encountering these lions on the loose, because it looked like it was during the night. Please, just check to make sure the gate’s on the lion’s den will hold if an earthquake did occur and that they are well fed. I rather be safe than sorry that I didn’t keep this to myself, and didn’t say nothing al all. Take-care
Moderator’s note: I just spoke with the keeper that serviced the mountain lions this morning and she said all is well, and they received plenty of food today
are there any pictures that we can see?
Moderator’s note: If you click on the photos, they get larger for a better look.
#3 Jessica
We check the security of all of our habitats daily, for the safety of our animals, keepers, and guests. The mountain lions are very well fed; in fact, our male “Kima” is currently on a diet because he was a little too well fed!
Interesting blog entry, Todd! I hope that everyone has a great weekend!
Is there any breeding plan in future? Are cougars solitary animal?
Our cougars have been spayed/neutered to prevent breeding. Currently, cougars in most areas are not endangered, so there is no pressing need to breed them. Our cougars were both orphaned in the wild when they were too young to care for themselves. Unfortunately, situations like this happen more often than there are spaces in zoos or refuges to take care of them.
Cougars are solitary most of their lives. Since our cougars were housed together from a very young age, they have adapted to living socially, which is very enriching to their life.
I can’t wait to see them, I live a great distance away from the zoo but Pumas are my favorite animal, the last time I came I was only able to se the lions and meerkats (sorry if I mispell it or any other word) can’t wait hope I get to see them soon!
Todd,
I am a volunteer at the Zoo. How old are the Mt Lions and when did they come to the zoo? Thanks
Todd responds: They are both approximately 5 years old, exact birthday is unknown since they are wild born. Koya arrived in NOV of 2006 and Kima in FEB of 2007.
I love the mountain lion exhibit! But I did not know there were actually two of them. Are they only put on exhibit once at a time? On a couple different occasions I got to see one hissing and swatting at the passerbys. And they seem to zero in on smaller children (glad there’s a partition!). Is that Kima or Koya who does that? Or is that something they both do? I was just wondering if they do that because they see them as food, or a threat, or just because there a vicious predator in general. People love to see them get angry and passerbys come up with guesses as to what they are thinking, but just wondering if you had more insight. I’ve never seen any of the other big cats do that at the zoo. Just the Mountain lions. Btw, great blog!
Koya and Kima live together full time and sometimes even sleep cuddled together.
Koya is the cat that often shows interest in our guests. For some reason she gets especially riled up by wheelchairs, and it doesn’t matter if they are empty or occupied! We’re not really sure why, it’s possible she is just curious or that the movement of the wheels excites her. Although cougars are formidable predators, years of folklore and media sensationalism of isolated events have colored them more “vicious” than they actually are. Cougars are actually very timid and elusive in the wild, especially for a cat of their size. In zoos, as animals become accustomed to being cared for by people, interesting habits like this sometimes occur.
Is the enclosure conducive to photographing the mountain lions without fences and such in the way? I would make a trip down to San Diego if this is so. I want to make a painting of a mountain lion from my photo.
Moderator’s note: There is a fence around the front and sides of their exhibit.