Buttonwood Park Zoo mourns death of 16-year-old cougar

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — The Buttonwood Park Zoo announced the death of its 16-year-old male cougar Riley Friday.

The zoo said Riley died on June 12 due to “age-related complications.”

Riley was brought to the zoo in 2009 after being orphaned in South Dakota and being unable to be released to the wild due to his age.

He lived for most of his life with Nikki, a female cougar who the zoo said died in 2024 after a “period of rapid decline due to end-stage chronic kidney disease.”

Riley had been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and systemic hypertension in 2023.

“Riley lived much longer than he should have because of the care we were able to provide him,” BPZOO Veterinarian Dr. Emmy Budas said. “His demeanor and eagerness to participate in training sessions is the reason we were able to so closely monitor his health for the last two years of his life. He truly was the best and most tolerant big cat I have ever worked with. He was incredibly special, and I am so lucky to have known him on the level that I did.”

Riley was the second oldest male cougar living in an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facility.