Cougar
A long stare. That powerful, tawny body. Cougars are a top feline predator in the Pacific Northwest, but you’ll rarely see them in the wild. Come meet ours, close-up.
Our cougar Carly was found orphaned in the wild as a cub in 2010. She was brought by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife to find a home at Northwest Trek. She’s estimated to have been born in late 2009. And her name? Well, she was found near the town of Carlton, WA.
Carly prefers to work with people she trusts, and that can take a while! Once she trusts someone, though, she works well at training with them. Keeper Haley has even worked with her on voluntary blood draws.
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Long and strong
with many names.
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Also called a puma, mountain lion or panther, cougars can be 7-9 feet long, the second-largest wildcat in North America. |
Weighing up to 200 pounds, they hunt deer, elk, small mammals, birds and reptiles. |
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Silently stalking
to hunt prey.
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Cougars are usually solitary, stalking and sometimes ambushing their prey. |
Their territory can stretch up to 350 miles or more, depending on availability of prey. |
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Leaping, climbing
and vocalizing.
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Cougars are powerful runners, leapers and climbers, adapted to habitat from forest to desert, from Chile to Canada. |
They are very vocal, producing a variety of screams, growls, mews, hisses and even a purr like a housecat – but louder. |