Cougie gets to celebrate 10th birthday

      The Nevada Day celebration at the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park Saturday will also serve as a 10th birthday party for Cougie, the zoo's resident mountain lion.
      Cougie was rescued on a cold winter night in 1988 near Battle Mountain by some local miners who found him near death and barely breathing.
      "Some miners drove by early in the day and when they returned to the spot the cat was still there," said Pat Dingle, CEO and director of the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park. "He was very ill and the only place he could be saved was down here."
      The only problem was how to get the mountain lion to Las Vegas.
      "He wasn't going to last the night unless they could get him down here and we could get him medical care," Dingle said. "Then the Nevada Highway Patrol had a great idea."
      Patrol officers ran a sort of relay to get the mountain lion to Las Vegas.
      "They actually went jurisdiction to jurisdiction in a type of relay," Dingle said. "They would drive 100 miles or so, complete with sirens, and pass him on to the next officer. They got him here in a few hours and that saved his life."
      Once in the care of the zoo, Cougie recovered slowly and now is a thriving 10-year-old mountain lion and one of the park's biggest attractions. The birthday party for the cat is meant to serve as a tribute to the men and women of Nevada and to show what can be done to save wildlife.
      Now, the focus changes from saving Cougie to building him a larger and more natural enclosure within the park. The money to do so is partly coming from sponsorships supplied by the public.
      "We're now in the middle of a fund-raising effort to raise money to complete the new enclosure," said Dara Hall, the zoo's curator. "We felt it would be a great way to celebrate Nevada Day by calling to action all patrons and the good people of Las Vegas to help Cougie get his new home."
      Cougie is in perfect physical condition but his mental state could use a boost.
      "It's purely a psychological move for Cougie," Hall said. "Mentally the larger and more realistic enclosure will help him feel more at home. It will also help visitors see the animal in his natural environment."
      The enclosure will include a high, rock perch similar to what a mountain lion would live on in the wild. It will also include a running river that flows over the rock.
      "The rock will go up 20 feet and will really be a psychological boost for him," Dingle said. "Cougie has been one of our more popular residents and his movie-like story has helped with his popularity."
      Kids ages 2 to 12 will be admitted free to the zoo on Saturday as long as they come dressed in costume. Refreshments, special events and wildlife presentations will be held throughout the day. The park will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.