AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — “Aspen,” a Western cougar that lived at Grandfather Mountain’s Nature Park’s Wildlife Habitat has died after complications following a tooth-removal surgery.
The cougar had to be humanely euthanized as his condition continued to worsen after surgery. The tooth-removal surgery was intended to diagnose some of Aspen’s other ailments.
‘Aspen’ The Cougar Over The Years At Grandfather Mountain
Aspen was 15 years old and lived two years later than the average lifespan of a Western cougar in the wild.
“Aspen was such a great ambassador of his species and for Grandfather Mountain,” said Jesse Pope, president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Linville, N.C., nature park. “Everyone that met him was in awe of his gentle nature and his interest in meeting those who visited with him.”
Aspen’s charm was his striking blue eyes, which most cougar cubs exhibit at a young age but later lose in adulthood.
Aspen, however, retained them, along with a special fondness for his keepers and other visitors.
“No matter where he was in the habitat, as soon as he saw his keeper friends at the overlook or on the other side of the fence, he would light up and start calling to them immediately,” chief habitats curator Christie Tipton said. “He loved purring and ‘talking’ to his keepers every morning, and he loved meeting (most) new people, making new friends and playing chase games with the smallest of them. He won the countless hearts of every person who has met him over the years.”