Squam Lakes Natural Science Center’s two mountain lions have really settled well into their new surroundings. The two male cats are turning one year old and growing fast, although they will not reach their full size for another six months or more. They arrived at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness in January of this year at about four months old, after a flight from their previous location in the state of Washington.
The cubs were orphaned and surrendered to Washington Fish and Wildlife. Because mountain lion cubs stay with and rely on their mother for up to 18 months, they could not be released back to the wild, and Washington officials found suitable placements around the country for these and other orphaned cubs. The Science Center met the strict criteria required to house and care for these animals, and after a quarantine period, the lions went into their permanent exhibit enclosure in May.
Mountain lions (also called cougars, pumas, panthers, and catamounts) once roamed throughout North America. Now officially considered extirpated from the east, they are found throughout the Rockies and many Western States (as well as Yukon, Alberta, and British Columbia). Their range also extends all the way down into southern South America — making the mountain lion the most widely distributed large, terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere.
The previous mountain lions at the Science Center were a brother and sister from Montana who arrived as eight-week-old cubs in 2003. The Mountain Lion Exhibit was built specifically for their arrival. Both mountain lions lived long, healthy lives, with the female passing away at 19 years old in November 2021 and the male passing away at 20 years old in November 2022.
Iain MacLeod, Executive Director of the Science Center, is thrilled to see how relaxed the cubs have become with the constant traffic of visitors. “They are now showing a very keen interest in the younger visitors in particular,” observed MacLeod. “Their hunting instincts are intact and ‘small’ people are very attractive ‘enrichment’ for them. Thankfully, thick glass keeps everyone safe, but thrilling up-close encounters are a daily treat.”
The live animal exhibit trail at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is open daily through Wednesday, November 1, 9:30 AM to 5 PM, with the last trail admission at 3:30 PM. Visit nhnature.org for full details.