A pair of big cat siblings will be leaving the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, Pennsylvania, for a new home in the Midwest, the zoo announced Tuesday.
In the next couple of weeks, beloved cougar siblings Russet and Yukon will be moving into a large enclosure the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri while major construction projects begin at the Elmwood Park Zoo.
The cougars' new home in Big Cat Country at the Saint Louis Zoo is another Association of Zoos & Aquariums-accredited facility that will “ensure that their comfort and well-being are maintained,” the zoo said in a statement.
“We don’t want these confident-yet-sensitive cats to regress into the timid animals we first met,” the zoo continued.
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Russet and Yukon were rescued from the wild after being orphaned as cubs in Idaho. They spent their early years at the Elmwood Park Zoo mostly off-exhibit as they were “too skittish” to leave their indoor holding, according to EPZ.
Once they moved to their current spot in the Trail of the Jaguar, the zoo said they quickly grew comfortable, and over the last few years, guests have enjoyed watching the massive felines from behind the viewing glass.
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“We will be moving other animals into Trail of the Jaguar while we begin construction of our new Animal Hospital and Welcome Center,” the Montgomery County-based zoo said.
They added the cougars’ departure will also help them in plans to bring more jaguars to the zoo in the future.
