July 29, 2025: Kaff was finally discharged from the animal hospital, allowing the entire family to reunite at last. From left: Tsui, Nina, Kaff, and Shedar. Curious about the world beyond, they peer through the open door of the maternity den (from Puma Family).

Once considered too plain

When people think of popular zoo animals, lions, elephants, and giraffes usually come to mind. But at Morioka Zoological Park ZOOMO in Iwate Prefecture, the puma has somehow become the star attraction.

To be honest, until recently, few people would have said, “Let’s go to the zoo to see the pumas!” or “Pumas are my favorite animal!”

Even Yuko Yamamoto, the keeper in charge of ZOOMO’s pumas, used to lament their lack of popularity.

“Pumas don’t have distinctive markings on their coats, and their calls sound more like a house cat’s—’meow’ or ‘gyaaow’—rather than a powerful roar. They’re often seen as rather plain, so visitors frequently ask, ‘Where are the lions?’ or ‘Don’t you have any tigers?’ But they’re actually incredibly graceful animals with amazing athleticism—they can leap as high as a giraffe’s head. They’re truly fascinating.”

Today, however, pumas have become the driving force behind ZOOMO’s popularity.

A look at the zoo’s official online shop shows puma merchandise front and center. Then, in June, Puma Family (Tatsumi Publishing)—a book chronicling the complete story of the zoo’s pumas’ pregnancy, birth, and parenting journey—was released to great acclaim.

The spark that ignited the craze came from the zoo’s official social media accounts.

ZOOMO began caring for a male puma named Tough, and the following year, in 2020, welcomed a female named Nina from a zoo in Shizuoka. On June 10, 2025, Nina gave birth to five cubs.

From that day on, Yamamoto posted daily updates on the zoo’s official social media for six months, documenting the cubs’ growth—the joyful moments as well as the heartbreaking ones.

“People tend to think of zoos as happy places. But in reality, illness, injuries, and medical treatment are part of everyday life. We wanted people to understand not only the animals but also the realities of a keeper’s work by being open about those difficult aspects. More than anything, we wanted to build trust with our followers.

We shared some pretty shocking realities without holding anything back, and many fans were surprised, saying, ‘I can’t believe you’re willing to share this much.’ But by posting every single day, people gradually came to see things from the same perspective we did, thinking, ‘Well, that’s part of life when you’re dealing with living creatures.’ And from there, they truly began rooting for the pumas with all their hearts.”

On June 10, 2025, five cubs were born. However, just three days later, three of them suffered a rapid decline in health, and two ultimately died (from Puma Family).

Saved by Nina’s Gentle Nature

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.'”

Kaff during her hospital stay after suffering a broken bone. She cries “Meow!” to demand her milk (from Puma Family).

Nina’s Remarkable Mothering Instincts

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.”

By the end of winter, the cubs had grown into strong young pumas. From left: Kaff, Shedar, Tsui, and Nina (Photo: Kagaribi, from Puma Family).

Passing the Baton of Life

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.”

Brothers Tsui and Shedar sleep side by side (Photo: KenKen.jp, from Puma Family).

Shedar appears to comfort and look after Nina (Photo: Yoshiji Chishio, from Puma Family).

“Kaff-emon” hisses at Nina. Even so, Nina never rejected her and continued to accept her with patience (Photo: ken, from Puma Family).

As the weather turned colder, the mother and cubs huddled together to form an adorable puma dumpling. But just as the photo was about to be taken, the camera-loving Kaff wandered over (from Puma Family).

Tsui beams while covered in snow. He’s the family’s affectionate, little-brother type (Photo: Yoshi, from Puma Family).

The handsome father, Tough. He lives in the enclosure next to the mother and cubs (Photo: Yoshiji Chishio, from Puma Family).

The family’s dramatic journey is told through a wealth of photographs.

Puma Family (Supervised by Morioka Zoological Park ZOOMO; published by Tatsumi Publishing).

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

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