Mountain Lion Sanctuary Tour: Burton

Burton was the first cougar to move to the Cooper's Rock Mountain Lion Sanctuary. He arrived in 1998, at 14 months old.

Before moving here, Burton lived behind the scenes at a private zoo in the southeast United States. Zoos of all types, whether publicly or privately funded, routinely have more animals than they can display. Those who live behind the scenes do not have quarters as comfortable as the animals in public view. Some zoos are better than others, but unfortunate Burton lived in a ten-foot-square dog kennel on a concrete slab.

Happily, the zoo donated Burton to the sanctuary. The sanctuary placed him in the Original Enclosure, where he lived for a year. Sanctuary volunteers donated money and labor to build a larger enclosure for him, which the sanctuary completed in July 1999. Burton has lived in the Second Enclosure ever since.

For more pictures of Burton, visit Burton's Gallery.

C. Mullens