Orphaned cougars find new home at zoo in Massachusetts

STONEHAM - Two orphaned cougars have found a new home at the Stone Zoo in Massachusetts after their mother was struck and killed by a driver in California.

Sisters Maple and Willow are 10 months old. They can now be seen by the public at the zoo in Stoneham at the Treasures of the Sierra Madre section.

Cubs found wandering alone

The cougars were found wandering alone in a California backyard in November 2023 when they were just a few weeks old. The Oakland Zoo took them in and found that while the cubs were underweight and dehydrated, they were going to be OK.

Maple and Willow have been in quarantine at Stone Zoo since July while they adjusted to their new home.

"Both are quite calm, curious and playful, and have enjoyed lots of enrichment like "fishing" for frozen fish, scratching up cardboard, and interacting with new materials, including feathers, as well as different scents," the zoo said in a statement.

"Uniquely American cats"

Stone Zoo said cougars, also known as mountain lions, "are uniquely American cats" and are second in size only to jaguars. They are not found in Massachusetts but range from the West Coast to a small part of the eastern United States.

"They are incredible ambassadors for their species, and we could not be happier that they have joined the Stone Zoo animal family." Stone Zoo assistant curator Peter Costello said.

Cars are one of the biggest threats to cougars, with one or two mountain lions killed every week on California roads, a University of California study found.