Ailing cougar euthanized at the Oregon Zoo

This is a press release courtesy of the Oregon Zoo

Takini, a 3-year-old cougar at the Oregon Zoo, was euthanized Saturday morning following a long battle against a tenacious and aggressive intestinal disorder. Zoo veterinarians made the decision after consulting with keepers regarding the cat's deteriorating condition.

"Takini's keepers went way above and beyond the call of duty," said Oregon Zoo Veterinarian Mitch Finnegan. "They were able to provide a level of care to Takini that I would not have thought possible had I not seen it myself."

Over the past few months, staff administered immune-modulating drugs as well as supportive treatments to maintain the cougar's hydration and electrolytes. They had been monitoring Takini closely, hoping the treatments would allow the cougar's appetite to return and enable her to regain her strength.

Finnegan praised the keepers' ability to get Takini to "take a staggering number of pills multiple times each day" and to keep up with a continually changing health regimen as vets worked to diagnose and treat the cougar's problems.

Takini came to the zoo as a clunky, spotted adolescent in May 2006. She had been orphaned as a cub and was spotted in a tree in Rapid City, S.D., on Mother's Day 2005, watching a local resident wax his boat. Officials with South Dakota's Game, Fish and Parks Department darted the 35-pound cat with a tranquilizer.

Michelle Schireman, an Oregon Zoo keeper and the Association of Zoo and Aquariums' puma population manager, suggested the name Takini, which means "survivor" in the Lakota language of Sioux Native Americans. Over the past several weeks, keepers and vet staff had been hoping against hope that the young cougar would live up to her name.

 
"Though I am sad and disappointed that we were unsuccessful in treating Takini," Finnegan said, "witnessing the dedication and care that her keepers invested in her truly was an inspiration, and reminded me of why I got into this line of work in the first place."

Takini's companion Chinook, a female cougar of about the same age, remains on exhibit in Cougar Crossing, part of the zoo's Great Northwest exhibit.

Cougars, also known as pumas and mountain lions, have a life expectancy in the wild of about 10 years. They have been known to live up to 20 years in zoos.