A Social Media Sensation! The Dramatic Parenting Story Behind the Puma Family at Morioka City Zoo ZOOMO

Tough and Nina welcomed five cubs. Sadly, two of them did not survive. But there was little time to grieve, because the keepers’ top priority became saving another cub—a female later named Kaff—who was fighting for her life.

To save her, the staff chose hand-rearing, even though, as Yamamoto puts it, “it was something we really didn’t want to do.”

They hoped to avoid hand-rearing because reintroducing the cub to her mother afterward carries a major risk. In the worst-case scenario, the mother could reject—or even kill—a cub that smelled of humans.

Despite those fears, Kaff was successfully reunited with Nina.

Although she later faced challenges, including a broken bone and an initially awkward relationship with her mother, Kaff grew up healthy alongside her brothers, Shedar and Tsui. Today, the sight of the happy puma family warms the hearts of visitors.

However, Yamamoto emphasizes that Kaff’s successful reunion happened because her mother was Nina.

“If I had to describe Nina’s personality in one word, I’d say she’s a princess,” Yamamoto laughs.

“She used to refuse to eat meat unless it was sliced for her. If there was a piece tucked into the corner of her feeding tray, she’d leave it behind as if to say, ‘That’s too difficult to eat.’ Even with whole chickens, she often leaves the beak because it’s too hard.

She was raised with great care, so she’s innocent, playful, moody, and a little cautious. She’s both sensitive and surprisingly easygoing at the same time. Because we’d spent years getting to know her personality and building a relationship with her, we felt confident enough to reunite Kaff with her.”

The keepers believed that Nina’s easygoing temperament and trusting relationship with them meant she would likely accept Kaff even after the cub had been separated and later returned.

“If it had been one of the female pumas we’d cared for in the past, I don’t think we ever would have returned a hand-reared cub. She was so fiercely protective that she’d hiss at us just for making eye contact while she was raising her young.

But if you think about Kaff one day becoming a mother herself, it’s incredibly important that she grows up with her own mother and siblings. The success of this reunion owed a great deal to Nina’s personality. Of course, you never know until you try, but we genuinely believed, ‘If anyone will accept her, it’s Nina.'”

Looking back, Yamamoto says the moments that stand out most are the many times Nina’s personality made all the difference.

“When we started reuniting Kaff with Nina after hand-rearing her, we didn’t do it all at once. At first, Kaff spent only the nights with her mother, and we’d take her back during the day.

Normally, a mother puma would resist having her cub taken away. Nina was reluctant at first, but after about three days, whenever we arrived, she’d simply head off to the next enclosure on her own. It was almost like she was saying, ‘All right, see you later—take good care of her today.’ (laughs)

She seemed to completely understand what was happening. I remember thinking how incredibly intelligent she was.”

The keepers were also concerned that Kaff might still smell like humans when she returned each evening, causing Nina to reject her.

“Before bringing Kaff back, we’d rub straw from Nina’s sleeping area all over her, so she’d smell more like her mother. But Nina didn’t seem to care much. Whenever Kaff came back, she’d calmly grab her by the scruff of the neck as if saying, ‘Welcome home,’ and carry her back into the den.”

That wasn’t the only remarkable thing.

Because Kaff had spent so much time being hand-reared, she didn’t seem to recognize Nina as her mother. Whenever Nina tried to fuss over her, Kaff would hiss loudly in protest.

Kaff’s hissing became so well known on social media that fans nicknamed her “Kaff-emon.” What amazed the keepers, however, was that Nina never retaliated.

“Nina basically ignored it. She never rejected Kaff or hissed back. She’d act as though nothing had happened and go right back to trying to care for her.

She was exactly like the mother of a teenage daughter—patiently handling the attitude without taking it personally. No matter how much Kaff hissed at her, Nina clearly adored her.”

Yamamoto says Kaff’s behavior also had an amusing twist.

“Outside, she’d put on this tough act and hiss at Nina, but once they were indoors, she’d become incredibly affectionate and cling to her mother.

Nina seemed to understand that Kaff was all bark and no bite—that she only acted tough outside. I really think she was an exceptional mother.”

One year has passed since the family overcame countless challenges together. This June, the cubs finally celebrated their first birthday.

In the wild, pumas typically begin becoming independent at around one year of age. That means the time Nina has left with her cubs is growing short.

“So far, we haven’t seen any major changes. Sometimes the cubs wander off and play by themselves, other times they play with each other, and then their mother joins in and they all wrestle together.

Usually, somewhere between one year and a little over a year old, the mother starts encouraging her cubs to become independent. But we haven’t seen those signs from Nina yet.

At the same time, you can tell the cubs are becoming capable of managing on their own. Sooner or later, they’ll each move to different zoos.

Of course, we’ll be sad to see them go. But our goal is for these cubs to one day become parents themselves and carry on the next generation. We’ll send them off with pride.”

Normally, keepers at ZOOMO rotate assignments every three years. However, due in part to the zoo’s renovation work, Yamamoto has remained responsible for Nina ever since she arrived nearly six years ago.

That long relationship of trust, she believes, was another key reason why the risky hand-rearing and reunion ultimately succeeded.

Asked what she would say to Nina now after watching her throughout this journey, Yamamoto replied:

“For a first-time mother, she was extraordinary. I’m proud of her, and I truly respect her.

Because of the cubs’ injuries—including Kaff’s broken bone—we had to separate the cubs from her and return them multiple times, not just during the hand-rearing period. I’m deeply grateful that she accepted our support every step of the way.

Now it’s the cubs’ turn to carry the baton of life into the future.”

She also made sure not to forget Tough, the father.

“None of this would have been possible without Tough, who was so calm and gentle and accepted quirky, strong-willed Nina just as she is.

Male pumas don’t take part in raising their young, so fathers tend to remain in the background. But there’s no doubt that this wonderful family exists because of Tough as well.”