Calgary zoo offers temporary home for orphaned cougar kittens

Cougar kittens orphaned near Canmore after their mother was killed now have a temporary new home in our city.

Two orphaned cougar kittens, estimated to be five to six months old, are receiving care at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo after being rescued near Canmore, Alta.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife contacted the zoo after the kittens were discovered alone near Grotto Mountain, after their mother had been killed.

“Our Animal Care, Health and Welfare team has given them a visual health assessment, and we’re happy to share that they are in good body condition and are doing well,” the zoo said in a statement.

A full health exam of both kittens will be conducted later this week.

The kittens are currently being cared for at the zoo’s Animal Health Centre and are not viewable to the public.

The zoo confirmed their stay will be temporary while they work to find a permanent home at another facility in Canada.

The rescue comes amid debate surrounding cougar hunting in the Bow Valley.

Wildlife photographer and conservation advocate John E. Marriott shared on social media what he believed to be the site where a mother cougar was hunted and killed.

He captured video of the kittens Friday afternoon in a tree before they were captured Friday night by a Fish and Wildlife officer in the Bow Valley.

Fish and Wildlife issued a statement:

“Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES) officers successfully trapped the two young cougars near Canmore. FWES officers have since collected the traps and are working with officials from the ministries of Forestry and Parks and Environment and Protected Areas, who are co-ordinating the long-term housing arrangements for the animals,” the statement read.

“The young cougars are currently being temporarily housed and cared for at the Calgary Zoo as we determine next steps.

“Following further investigation, FWES has determined that the reported harvesting of a female cougar in the Canmore area was done so legally as part of a regulated hunt.”

Marriott expressed concern for the kittens.

“This whole uncertainty this weekend, of what’s next? What’s going to happen with them?” Marriott said.

“And I’ve had people contacting me from across North America, from shelters, from zoos, just wildlife lovers that have been saying, can we get them in here? Can we get them in there?”

Marriott says the outcome is generally poor for orphaned wildlife.

“In cases like this, cougar kittens, wolf pups, bear cubs, they get euthanized,” he said.

“I would love to see (for) bear cubs, cougar kittens, things like this, more of a rehab or even a sanctuary-type place as opposed to necessarily a zoo or shelter.”

Marriott also wants to see legislation changes in the province around the hunting of female cougars.

“If we are going to continue to allow them to be chased down with hounds, with GPS collars and if we decide that as a society, we’re still going to allow that, I really would love to see us eliminate the hunting of female cougars, because it’s just too difficult to tell when they have kittens,” he said.

“They have kittens 75 per cent of their lives as adult females.”

It is illegal in Alberta to hunt young cougars with spotted fur, or females accompanied by young cougars with spotted fur.

Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen addressed the issues of cougar hunting on Facebook over the weekend.

“Four cougars have been harvested this season by licensed Alberta residents, none of whom were non-resident hunters,” Loewen said.

“Cougars are wild animals; they can grow up to 200 pounds and are skilled ambush predators.

“As with all wildlife in Alberta, cougar populations need to be managed, and hunting plays a key role in that.”

The zoo says no decision has been made on where the kittens will end up.