MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Zoo is caring for four orphaned pumas born in the backyard of a Washington state home.
The zoo released adorable pictures of the four little ones Friday. They said the mother gave birth to three boys and one girl, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to relocate the mom and kittens, but the mom ended up abandoning the babies.
After two days without the mother’s return, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums contacted the leader for the puma monitoring program, who is at the Oregon Zoo. She worked with the USFM and Memphis Zoo to get the pumas to the Mid-South.
FedEx transported the kittens as part of FedEx Cares “Delivering for Good” initiative for special shipments.
The kittens are currently quarantined at the Memphis Zoo and being supervised by Senior Veterinarian Dr. Felicia Knightly and her staff. They said when the kittens arrived they were malnourished and dehydrated, but are now doing well and putting on the appropriate weight as pumas.
The staff is also taking extra precautions around the kittens due to COVID-19.
Memphis Zoo rescues four orphaned pumas
More About Pumas from the Memphis Zoo:
The puma is known by many names, such as cougar, mountain lion or panther. Pumas range in habitats from mountains to deserts. Pumas have the largest geographic range of any land mammal in the Western Hemisphere; however, their populations have been in significant decline due to human predation. When a puma is found orphaned or injured in the wild, a volunteer coordinating the AZA’s Puma Monitored Program is contacted to help place the pumas at an appropriate facility to care for the animal.