Cougar Dies at NC Zoo
Incident Date:
08/21/2026
Location:
Asheboro, NC - USA
Facility Name:
North Carolina Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Big Cats
Animal:
Cougar
Animal disposition:
Dead
Summary:
ASHEBORO, NC – A 12-year-old cougar at the North Carolina Zoo died after developing chronic kidney disease and age-related mobility problems that affected his quality of life, according to the zoo’s social media post. After consulting with animal care and veterinary teams, zoo officials decided to euthanize Heath since the animal’s quality of life was declining.
Heath and his sisters, Olive and Willow, arrived at the zoo in 2014 after being orphaned in the wild in Oregon.
Action take by Born Free USA:
Notes: