Photo courtesy of Birmingham Zoo
A cougar cub from Montana arrived at the Birmingham Zoo in February 2025 before the zoo opened its new cougar exhibit in March.
In honor of their 70th anniversary, the Birmingham Zoo has opened a new exhibit, Cougar Crossings, which will be home to two orphaned cougar cubs and two adult bobcats.
Construction of the new Cougar Crossing habitat was completed in January and the first resident, a female orphaned cougar kitten from Montana arrived on Feb. 11. The zoo worked with FedEx to safely transport the cougar via plane from Great Falls Montana to Memphis, Tennessee. From there, the Birmingham Zoo transported the cub to her new home.
A veterinarian working with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks accompanied the cub on the FedEx flight from Great Falls to Memphis. FedEx donated the transportation costs for the cougar cub. The kitten appeared to be around four to five months old and weighs between 30 and 40 pounds. Cougars are also known as mountain lions, pumas, catamounts, and panthers.
"As the Birmingham Zoo celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2025, the new Cougar Crossing is a significant milestone in the Zoo’s overall history," Chris Pfefferkorn, President and CEO of the Birmingham Zoo, said. "We would like to thank Larry and Phyllis Wojciechowski for their generosity to help make this exhibit a reality. This has truly become a community initiative with hundreds of people, companies, and other organizations joining together to help us be successful."
The exhibit officially opened to the public on Wednesday with the female cougar cub and the two adult bobcats, Baxter and Boomer, present. The second cougar cub should arrive within the next few weeks. The zoo is asking for help in naming the female cougar cub. Options include the following:
- Sage (Sagebrush is a common shrub found in Montana, where this cougar was born.)
- Sierra (The Sierra Nevada Mountain Range is a location within a cougar’s native range.)
- Juniper (The Rocky Mountain Juniper is a plant within a cougar’s native range.)
A landowner near Billings, Montana found cougar kittens on his property. The next day he found this female kitten stuck in his fence but had no sign of the other cubs or adults. He removed the cub from the fence and contacted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on December 14, 2024. The cub was emaciated but sassy. She appeared to be in good health overall despite her situation.
The cougar kitten is food motivated and is now at a healthy weight. The Birmingham Zoo staff is continuing to work with the new cub to help her acclimate to her new home. Her curiosity grows each day. She enjoys her hammock and high climbing on structures. The animal rescue staff in Montana started some training to help in her care. This training will continue and expand in her new Birmingham home.
To vote on a name, visit givebutter.com/NameThatCougar.
The zoo welcomes the community to come experience the new exhibit, but it is noted that the animals may not be visible in their enclosure are they are still acclimating to their new home.
