11-Month Outdated Pet Cougar Rescued From an Residence in New York Metropolis

• An 11-month-old pet cougar, Sasha, was rescued from a New York Metropolis condo after its proprietor referred to as for assist. 
• Miranda Rodriguez reached out to a sanctuary after the 80-pound cat began rising and he or she realized it might be harmful.
• The cat was despatched for a check-up on the Bronx Zoo over the weekend, and can spend the remainder of her life at a wildlife sanctuary in Arkansas.

An 11-month outdated cougar cub was rescued from a New York Metropolis condo final week, in response to the Humane Society of the United States, a non-profit group, on Monday. 

The cougar, nicknamed Sasha, was rescued on Thursday night time from a house within the Bronx in a joint operation by the New York Metropolis Police Division (NYPD), New York State Division of Environmental Conservation, the Humane Society of america, and the Bronx Zoo, in response to a press release.

The proprietor, who’s been recognized as  Miranda Rodriguez by the New York Post, “surrendered” the cougar and was there when officers got here to the condo to rescue the 80-pound feline.

Rodriguez reached out to a sanctuary after the cat began rising, and he or she realized the cougar is perhaps harmful, reported New York Daily News. 

The cat was taken to the Bronx Zoo to be examined by veterinarians over the weekend earlier than being despatched to Turpentine Creek, an accredited wildlife sanctuary that homes “deserted, abused, and uncared for large cats.” The cat will spend the rest of her life within the wildlife refuge. 

Turpentine Creek didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Insider.

“This cougar is comparatively fortunate that her homeowners acknowledged a wild cat just isn’t match to dwell in an condo or any home surroundings,” Kelly Donithan, director of animal catastrophe response for the Humane Society of america mentioned within the press assertion. 

“I’ve by no means seen a cougar within the wild, however I’ve seen them on leashes, smashed into cages, and crying for his or her moms when breeders rip them away. I’ve additionally seen the heartbreak of homeowners, like on this case, after being bought not only a wild animal, however a false dream that they might make a great ‘pet’,” she added. 

“These claws and people tooth and the stress of the chew. You can not take the wild out of those animals. Finally one thing unhealthy would have occurred,” Emily McCormack, animal curator for the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge advised the Each day Information.

Rodriguez advised the Put up Monday she was “grieving” over her loss. “She was a pet to me on the finish of the day, so I am nonetheless grieving about the entire state of affairs,” she mentioned. 

New York isn’t any stranger to harmful animals dwelling in non-public properties. In 2003, the NYPD eliminated a 350-pound Bengal tiger from a Harlem condo, reported The New York Times. Two 50-pound leopard cubs have been additionally discovered within the basement of a house in Lengthy Island in 2005, reported The Times. 

The Big Cat Public Safety Act was reintroduced in Congress this yr to guard the general public and the cats. If handed, it will make the possession of huge cats unlawful, and would additionally ban exhibitors from permitting direct contact of the general public with cubs.