Mountain lion or cougar (Felis concolor) jumping into the water, in captivity, Sandstone, Minnesota, United States of America, North America, by James Hager
National Cougar Day
2025
National Cougar Day falls on June 12 every year, providing us with the ideal opportunity to learn about these stunning wild cats. Cougars are among the fastest land animals, capable of sprinting over fifty miles per hour. They can jump extremely high (up to eighteen vertical feet) and far (over forty horizontal feet). Today we celebrate Puma concolor and draw awareness to the dangers they face.
Cougars were on the brink of extinction in the early 20th century. Conservation efforts brought them back to where they were listed as a species of least concern in 2008, though there are many regions such as Florida where they are still in danger and in need of protection.
Cougars are territorial cats with the greatest range of any large land animal in the Western Hemisphere, spanning from Canada’s Yukon Territory to the Andes Mountains in South America. Protecting a species with such a wide range is difficult as it requires conservation across multiple fronts.
