iN VIDEO: How the B.C Wildlife Park in Kamloops earned the trust of a cougar

Medical care of a housecat can be complicated enough.

But as you might expect, taking care of a cougar can involve some extra steps, as you'll see in a video posted by BC Wildlife Park. 

The video shows zoo officials working to build trust with the big cat to gain its voluntary participation in a blood draw from its tail.

It's a process that's been ongoing for months, according to a Facebook post.

But due to the small tail vein, the position of his tail in his training area, and the thick amount of fur he has, his health care team must shave some of his tail fur and use a Doppler ultrasound to help find a suitable vein.

Park officials say blood from household cats is withdrawn from the jugular vein in their neck, or a vein in their leg; however, that isn’t possible with a cougar unless they’re sedated.

You can watch the video which is posted below.


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Darren Rathwell

Whether it be print, broadcast, or online, Darren's journalism career has spanned several years and three provinces, most recently as a news producer at GlobalBC. A change of experience was in order however, and a return to his roots as a community reporter is an opportunity Darren had to seize; allowing him to bring light to important issues with an 'on the ground' approach. For a fair and balanced look
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