In the US metropolis of New York, a puma has been rescued from an apartment in a private house. The eleven-month-old, 36-pound female big cat was picked up in a concerted action by animal rights activists, police officers and zoo employees last week, and the owner volunteered her, the animal welfare organization Humane Society of The United States, the New said York Police and the Bronx Zoo with.
At the weekend, the puma named Sasha was initially looked after at the zoo. Now he is on his way to a sanctuary in Turpentine Creek in the US state of Arkansas, where big cats are protected and cared for for a lifetime.
“Pumas look cute and cuddly, but …”
Animal rights director Kelly Donithan said the cougar was relatively lucky that its owner realized that a wildcat was not suitable for an apartment life. Wildlife belonged nowhere but in the wild. Environment Director Basil Seggos added: “Wildlife like pumas are not pets. While pumas look cute and cuddly when they’re young, these animals can become unpredictable and dangerous.”
In New York, there were reportedly similar cases in which dangerous animals lived in private homes. In 2003, with the help of Bronx Zoo staff, New York Police freed a full-grown tiger from an apartment in Harlem. A year later, a child in Suffolk County, New York, was attacked by his father’s leopard.
Pumas live in North, Central, and South America. They are the fourth largest cats in the world after tigers, lions and jaguars. In the wild, pumas can weigh up to 100 kilograms, reach a shoulder height of up to 90 centimeters, jump over five meters and run up to 70 kilometers per hour. They mainly feed on mammals.
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