Cougar that was kept as illegal pet removed from NYC home

NEW YORK (AP) — Officials say an 80-pound cougar was removed from a Bronx apartment where she was being kept illegally as a pet. Kelly Donithan of the Humane Society of the United States said in a news release Monday that the owner of the 11-month-old female cougar surrendered the animal on Thursday. The cougar, nicknamed Sasha, spent the weekend at the Bronx Zoo receiving veterinary care and is now headed to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. The Humane Society coordinated with zoo officials, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York Police Department on the big cat’s removal.