The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo has lost one of its long-time residents.
11 year old Jethro took up residence as a cub at the zoo in 2009. The cougar was found unresponsive Sunday morning having passed during the night. A necropsy undertaken by the Western College of Veterinary Medicine revealed Jethro had hypertrophic cardiac disease. That is a thickening of the heart muscles which is hereditary but usually shows no signs or symptoms but can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
Zoo officials say cougars have a life expectancy of 9 to 13 years and range from the north Yukon down to the Andes Mountains in South America and are considered endangered in several provinces in Canada.