Cougars orphaned near Canmore find new home in Quebec

2 cougars orphaned near Canmore last February have a new home in Quebec.

Two cougars orphaned last winter near Canmore have a new home in Quebec.

Parc Safari, south of Montreal, has taken them in.

A hunter killed their mother, leaving the pair orphaned and too young to care for themselves.

After a brief stay at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, they’re now in Quebec.

Cougars aren’t endangered, but they’re certainly rare.

“There used to be cougars in Eastern Canada,“ said Parc Safari CEO Serge Lussier. ”There’s none in Ontario and Quebec. There’s none east. There’s none in the Eastern United States anymore.

“They used to be all over, right?” he added. “(They’re) only out west (now) -- but let’s protect what’s left."

Parc Safari is holding a naming contest for the 11-month-old cougars.