The Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Litchfield Park is currently displaying two Mountain Lion cubs in its baby animal nursery. In its 26 years this is the first time that the zoo is showcasing these rare animal cubs.
The five week old siblings will make the zoo their temporary home till Easter so that visitors may come and observe these rare animals at close hand. The current display has been made in continuation of the zoo’s effort to feature non-native exotic species from around the globe in its premises.
What is unique about baby Mountain Lions is that unlike the buff-colored adults, the cubs have dark patches on their skin that slowly fades within the first year. The female of the species can reach up to 100 pounds while males can weigh much more. Also, unlike their African cousins, males of the species do not play an important role as far as the nurturing of the cubs is concerned. They are more solitary creatures except breeding season.
A team of experts who have experience in looking after rare and endangered felines such as ocelots, jaguars, and tigers have been put in charge of taking care of the precious cubs.
“These are the first mountain lion cubs to be on public display in Arizona in a long time,” said Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium Director Mickey Ollson. “Our baby animal nursery is the perfect venue for the large number of visitors we welcome this time of year to see these cryptic animals.”
The main threat to the population of Mountain Lions has been human encroachment, lack of prey and habitat fragmentation.
The zoo is open seven days a week for visitors.