Minnesota Students Name Cougars at Wildcat Sanctuary

Orphan Cougar Kittens Named by Students

It’s always sad to hear of wild cougar kittens tragically losing their mother, but it’s happened again in the state of Washington when a female cougar was shot after killing a goat.

Left behind were two kittens spotted in a shed that authorities trapped and relocated to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota.

The sanctuary just took in two orphaned cougar kittens from Washington at Christmas-time last year, too.

Those cougars were named through an online voting contest and are now known as Snow and Storm.

Sanctuary Director Tammy Thies said, “This time, we turned to some of our youngest and most enthusiastic supporters to name the two cougar kittens – Ms. Stacey’s elementary students at Concord Elementary in Edina, Minnesota.

Her students have been sponsoring cats at the sanctuary for over a decade and work very hard learning about wildlife conservation and wild cat facts.”

Teacher Ms. Stacey told her students, “The caretakers at The Wildcat Sanctuary thought it would be cool if YOU all voted on what to name the two cubs!

Naming the animals at the sanctuary is a very big deal to those who work there and also the people who follow the wildcats’ journeys, so this is quite an honor!

It is just another example of how much the people at The Wildcat Sanctuary appreciate the compassion you have shown for these animals, even at an early age.”

As one fifth grade boy said, “I am so glad that TWS is still doing such a great job helping make wildcats more safe, and happy! It makes me so happy hearing about these animals that TWS has helped! And, as another 3rd grade girl shared, “Thank you so much Mrs. Stacey! I am super excited, I mean what a big opportunity!

In the end, the majority of students voted for the names Aspen and Blaze, and the names fit the personality of these two cougars perfectly!

Blaze is definitely the more dominant of the brothers and, during his intake exam and neutering, he weighed in almost 10 pounds more than his little brother Aspen.

Though Aspen suffered frostbite on both ears during the time they were surviving in the wild, Blaze pulled through with no obvious issues.

They’ll continue to live in a habitat alongside the other orphaned cougar kittens Snow and Storm, who are also about 16-18 weeks old, so they all feel comfortable with each other.

The plan is to merge them so they can all grow up together in a large, free-roaming habitat at The Wildcat Sanctuary.

You can learn more about the kittens and help donate to their care at www.wildcatsanctuary.org. 

More photos and arrival video can be seen at http://bit.ly/TWScougarorphans

The Wildcat Sanctuary (TWS) is a 501c3 non-profit, no-kill big cat rescue located in Sandstone, MN.

TWS provides a natural sanctuary to wild cats in need and inspires change to end the captive wildlife crisis.

TWS is funded solely on private donations.

The Sanctuary is a rescue organization and is not open to the public.

Combining natural and spacious habitats with a life free of exhibition, TWS allows all residents to live wild at heart.

As a true sanctuary, we do not buy, breed, sell or exhibit animals.

The Wildcat Sanctuary is accredited by the American Sanctuary Association and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.