At the heart of Wild Cat Station, presented by The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation, is a dramatic and intimate experience of a set of mountain lions in their natural New England habitat. Utilizing and transforming the former polar bear habitat, the sibling cats are home in their re-created mountainous terrain while visible from multiple viewing angles by our visitors.
The brother and sister kittens were found emaciated and orphaned in Half Moon Bay, California and brought to Oakland Zoo for vet care. The EcoTarium worked with the zoo through Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife for safe transport of the cats.
Female mountain lion-naming rights were first extended to EcoTarium members, the public was given the opportunity to vote on their narrowed-down list. The habitat is one of the largest mountain lion exhibits in the U. It is comprised of grass, trees, logs and rocky alcoves and outcroppings that allow the cats to utilize their natural abilities of climbing, scratching and jumping in the exhibit.
The habitat was designed with all four seasons in mind and includes a conditioned space to house the cats inside at night and during inclement weather events. EcoTarium keepers have multiple access points and a training staging area. In the near future, museum guests will have the ability to observe training sessions with the mountain lions. Named the Arthur M. Most kittens have been orphaned because of factors such as car strikes, forest fires and other natural disasters, as well as hunting.
Fish and Wildlife agencies will do their best to observe kittens and track a mother cougar before removing them from their natural habitat. While all enclosures have been specially designed to meet the natural needs of the species as well as to accommodate any physical limitations of the individual animal, animals need novel experiences to use their natural instincts on a regular basis.
