Meet Yazhi

I thought Yazhi would be a good cat to start with because she has so much character. Yazhi, I am told is the Native American word for "little one." She is one of four pumas (cougar/mountain lion) at WHF, a total of three females and one male are currently on site. She was hand reared at our sister park, Paradise Wildlife Park, when her mother rejected her as a cub, and therefore she is one of the friendliest cats on site, loving cuddles and walks in the morning and her recently discovered vocal talent has given her some internet fame already. We were considering entering her for Britain's Got Talent.... Incidentally, she is not being hurt or injured, and is not angry in the clip, she is in season. It's possible she's so vocal in this clip for a few reasons: a) there is a male puma not too far away in another enclosure; b) if you listen closely there is an echo (usual for the area).

I hadn't had much to do with Yazhi until the beginning of this week. I witnessed a morning walk in which she decided to plonk herself down and sing away (as per previous clip) and bluntly refused to budge. Funny for those watching, but perhaps not so funny for the keepers who were trying to coax her back into her enclosure. The reluctant feline had to be carried back in the end. She didn't stop singing the whole time, then as soon as she was placed on the floor again she trotted off with a backwards "ner" glance as she went.

They're incredibly soft cats, I was expecting them to have coats very similar to lions, but was surprised to find it silky and soft to touch. She quite happily allowed a tickle through the bars, and we even found her "tickle spot" ... the spot all animals seem to have. The spot where once found the back leg involuntarily needs to itch. Very funny seeing it in a big cat. I also had a game (more commonly initiated by the servals) of "catch the feet under the door." My feet that is not hers... I was waiting for one of the keepers to return with the keys, and busying myself by watching Yazhi inside when this happened...

No feet or paws were harmed in the making of the video! She is a great cat, and certainly one I'll enjoy working with over the next few months. I'm sure there will be more tales to come.