It's a time of grief for the folks at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.
Joseph, the zoo's 15-year-old cougar, died Sept. 15, according to the zoo.
The big cat leaves behind his little brother, Tecumseh, and his two keepers.
Keeper Danielle Holste has worked with Joseph and Tecumseh her whole career, she said.
"He was arguably too smart for his own good and annoyingly stubborn, but he was just as silly and unmistakably loving to those who earned it," Holste said. "He was regal, handsome, and clever. He was so good to his brother, even when Tec overstimulated him, stole his food or nibbled on his whiskers."
Cardboard box-shredding Joseph was everything to his little brother Tecumseh, keeper Amber Leuenberger said.
Their personalities balanced each
other perfectly, she said. "They spent most of their time cuddled up together napping or grooming each other. Tec was often observed following Joey around waiting for him to pick the napping spot of the day," Leuenberger said.
While the keepers and Tecumseh transition to a life without Joseph, Leuenberger said they will keep an extra close eye on the little brother and spend as much time with him as possible.
"Being loved and trusted by Joey has been the greatest honor of my career and will be one of the greatest honors of my life.," Leuenberger said.
More on the Americas' big feline
Cougars are a cat of many names, according to the zoo: mountain lion, puma and panther.
The cougar is native to the Americas, with a small wild population surviving in southern Florida. The average lifespan is about 13 years, thezoo's website says.
The big cat plays an important role in our environment, controlling and maintaining healthy prey populations. In places like the Eastern United States where the cougar has disappeared, the deer population has exploded. Deer eat tree sapling, and too many of them threaten the forest's ability to thrive.
Habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and road mortality, according to the institute for environmental research and education, all pose threats to the remaining cougar populations.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Zoo grieves death of 'handsome, clever' cougar
