Baby Puma Missoula Is No Basket Case

The first puma cub born at Berlin's Tierpark in 22 years is presented to the public for the first time.

Published

12 months ago

Categories

World, Europe, Science, Wildlife

Topics

Wildlife, Europe

People

Elly Park

Places

Germany, Berlin

Companies

Thomson Reuters Group Ltd

Tags

cougar

Transcript

A basket of joy in Berlin's Tierpark Zoo.Missoula is a pint-sized baby puma but don't get fooled by her looks, she is the offspring of a fearless predator.The cautious crawl is because of the alien surroundings - it's only natural to hide from applauding humans.Luckily, a keeper is nearby to assist.Missoula was hand-reared by zoo staff after her mother Cheyenne neglected her previous cubs.She is the only survivor out of a litter of three born in April and is precious to the zoo, says its mammal curator Christian Kern.SOUNDBITE: Berlin Tierpark Zoo's Mammal Curator, Christian Kern, saying (German)"She's the first one growing up at Berlin's Tierpark in 22 years. The last successful birth and upbringing was in December 1990. Since then, we had births but they were not successful because the cubs had to be born by Caesarian section and they did not survive."At seven weeks old Missoula weighs a healthy three kilograms, or 6 and a half pounds, showing interest in eating beef and mice among other things.And in a couple of months she will shed her spotted fur for a reddish brown coat to become a true proud hunter.Elly Park, Reuters.