Cougar Cove

Liberty, and the Irony of Her Name

TWS has rescued numerous cougars throughout the years but Liberty's story demonstrates what all too often exotic animals have to endure before their rescue.

We arrived on a rural farm to pick up a cougar being surrendered by her owner. What we found astonished us. Liberty, the cougar was no larger than a lynx. She weighed only 45 lbs. – typical of what a cougar should weigh at 6 months, but Liberty is 6 years old. She was emaciated and dehydrated. The owner explains that she fed Liberty only milk her first year of life and now she wasn’t eating or drinking well at all. She said that Liberty had broken both of her back legs.

The injuries went untreated. The tops of her ears were dangling by small amounts of flesh and about to fall off from frostbite and earmites. She had urine burns on both sides of her tail. Her initial exam showed Liberty had round worms and coccidia, an intestinal parasite from fecal-contaminated ground. The first night she arrived at TWS she ate four times and another eight meals the next day.

A New Life Begins at TWS

After gaining some weight and strength, radiographs were performed on her back, pelvis and legs. The x-rays showed her vertebrae were fused in an arched position. Her lower leg bones are very curved, which makes her appear to be in a crouching position. Both Dr. Baillie and specialist, Dr. Stephen Levine, agreed that this was caused by severe malnutrition at a young age. It was completely preventable! The good news is Liberty is not in pain and has adjusted to her restrictions.

Though Liberty's journey has been rough, at TWS she will finally have a life that will ring truer to her name. Her spirit is shining through more every day and she is gaining confidence with her new life at the Sanctuary. She is still gaining weight and has even begun to chirp to her caregivers (a cougar’s vocal greeting).

Liberty is letting us provide her a second chance at life and she deserves a habitat where she can finally be a real cougar. And you can help!!