There isn’t much I miss about life on the West Coast, but I do miss the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah.
I didn’t go often, not because it was all that far, but because driving anywhere in the Seattle area was so tedious.
So when I did go, I enjoyed it a lot.
It’s just a tiny zoo on the side of a mountain, opened in 1972. The staff are really cool and so are all the animals.
At a fund raiser with my friend Stephanie one night, I put a bid in for an encounter with Ring Tailed Lemurs.
I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I don’t know that the lemurs liked me, especially, but they sure liked the bananas I had to offer.
There isn’t a furry creature on this earth I wouldn’t want to talk to. Or a feathered one. Fins, even.
Snakes and spiders make me jump but I’ll still say hi.
Another time, I purchased an encounter with the tigers.
Of course the zoo management’s insurance didn’t permit for us to get too close, but it was still a buzz.
This famous photo that went viral on the media was taken at Cougar Mountain Zoo.
It still impresses me. I hope the child will like animals as much as I when she gets a little older.
Cougar Mountain has two pairs of tigers: Taj and Almos and Bagheera and Vitez. We got to see them when they first arrived at the zoo, as cubs. What a treat. Stunning creatures.
One year we got to meet this little chap.
He and his buddies are very popular at Christmas.
Then there were these guys…
Cougar Mountain now has wolves, but sadly we didn’t get to see those, nor the porcupine.
Among the many things that I can’t immediately put my finger on these days, are pictures of the alpacas, emus and cranes. And last, but certainly not least, I have, somewhere, a photograph of the memorial stone that I had placed for my beloved Panther. It lies, appropriately in front of the cougar enclosure.
My very own special little Panther
Your pictures are brilliant. I have been enjoying your blog for a while, thanks to Jon Katz putting it on the radar, and he gave you another well deserved shout out yesterday.
Thank you. So kind.
I can see why this amazing photo of the baby with the tiger went viral. I never get tired of seeing it. I love that you have placed a memorial stone for Panther in front of the cougar enclosure. I would like very much to see the photo if you can locate it. I have engraved headstones on my 3 dogs’ and my heart kitty, Furby’s graves.
I get so frustrated with myself, always misplacing things. Today it’s something else. One day soon I shall organizing….
Fantastic….and the racoons look very friendly 🦝