The Philadelphia Zoo welcomes the arrival of two orphaned puma cubs. The Philadelphia Zoo’s new puma cubs are super adorable.

New puma cubs, one male, and one female, got rescued in Kalama, Washington this summer.  They received care from Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife experts before they arrived in Philadelphia. The cubs live behind the scenes inside the Zoo’s on-site Animal Hospital as they complete their quarantine before moving to Big Cat Falls.

They will NOT be on exhibit or visible to the public until later this summer or early fall. More information about their public debut will come in the next few weeks. We can’t wait to see them, though.

The cubs’ names are Elbroch and Olympia. The male is Elbroch (pronounced el-brock) in honor of Mark Elbroch, the leading puma researcher for Panthera, a conservation organization. The female is Olympia, after the state capital of Washington, where the cubs came from. You can tell the two apart by their size. Elbroch is a little bit bigger than his sister Olympia.

Pumas live across North and South America from Alaska to Chile. Other names for them include cougar, mountain lion, and panther.

They are not the first orphaned pumas at the Zoo. In 2005, cubs Dakota, Sage, and Cinnabar came to the Zoo after being orphaned in South Dakota.

For updates on the Philadelphia Zoo’s puma cubs, visit philadelphiazoo.org or follow the Zoo on social: Facebook: PhiladelphiaZoo; Instagram: @philadelphiazoo; Twitter: @phillyzoo. TikTok: @philadelphiazoo

Now for some pictures of Philadelphia Zoo’s new puma cubs for your viewing pleasure:

  • Puma Cubs Elbroch And Olympia

    Puma cubs Elbroch (front) and Olympia (back)

    Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Zoo

    Elbroch (front) and Olympia (back) are so cute. Look at Elbroch’s massive paws. He’s going to grow up to be a big cat!

  • Elbroch And Olympia Hiding Out

    Puma cubs Elbroch (left) and Olympia (right)

    Elbroch (left) and Olympia (right) hide behind a yellow box. They’re new to this whole “zoo” thing. It’s only fair that they’re a bit camera shy!

  • Brother And Sister

    the philadelphia zoo's two new puma cubs, Elbroch (left) and Olympia (right)

    Elbroch (left) gets snuggles from his sister Olympia (right). Olympia seems to lean on her brother for support and confidence. The Zoo says Elbroch is more confident than Olympia.

  • Playful Buddies

    Puma cubs Olympia (left) and Elbroch (right)

    Olympia (left) looks like she’s ready to pounce on her brother Elbroch (right). They fight and play just like human siblings do. We can’t wait for their debut at Big Cat Falls.

  • Elbroch Stands Tall

    puma cub elbroch

    Ever the adventurous cub, Elbroch climbed up to get a better view of his digs. He’s showing off just how gorgeous his coat of fur is!

  • How Do I Get Down?

    puma cub elbroch

    The little guy didn’t anticipate having to get down when he climbed up. It’s okay, though. He figured it out.

  • Olympia Is Inquisitive

    puma cub olympia

    She was probably watching her brother get into some trouble here. She’s slightly more shy, but she’s still a major cutie.

  • Olympia Gets Low

    puma cub olympia gets low

    She looks like she’s focusing very intensely on something. Maybe it was feeding time! Or maybe she was trying to figure out why there was a camera in the room? Or what a camera even is…

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