zoo — Meet Spruce, orphaned cougar cub from Oakland Zoo. (Oakland Zoo)

The Birmingham Zoo’s new Wojciechowski Cougar Crossing is getting a new occupant!

Spruce, an orphaned cougar cub at the Oakland Zoo in California, will be making his way to the Birmingham Zoo in the coming weeks to join a female cub in the new cougar habitat that opened on March 19th.

Spruce and his two siblings made national news in January when they were found by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in Portola Valley in San Mateo County less than half a mile from where their mother likely was hit by a car.

According to the Birmingham Zoo, cougar cubs need about two years with their mother in the wild to learn survival skills. Since Spruce and his sisters Fern and Thistle are so young, they lack those skills and cannot return to the wild.

Instead, Spruce is coming to the Birmingham Zoo—an AZA-accredited facility that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife felt comfortable sending their famous young feline to the Magic City.

Give Spruce’s new roommate a name!

cougar zoo — Female Cougar Cub needs a name! (Birmingham Zoo)

When Spruce makes it to the Magic City thanks to a special partnership between the Birmingham Zoo and FedEx, he will be joining a rescued female cub from Montana who arrived at the zoo in February.

Presently, the Birmingham Zoo has been holding a contest to name her.

Voting for her name is open to the public until April 1 on the Birmingham Zoo’s social media and website www.BirminghamZoo.com. The three names under consideration are:

Sage
Sierra
Juniper

If you plan to visit the zoo soon, check out the new Wojciechowski Cougar Crossing, and say hello to all the critters big and small. Also, don’t miss the many events this year celebrating Birmingham Zoo’s 70th year.

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