May 2012-Left side of the Cougar exhibit

This was added in August of 2011, and is home to brothers Chief Joseph, and Tecumseh that were born in 2009. This is connected to Night Hunters and is also phase II of Cat Canyon that will open on June 30.

This looks really good!

When it first opened, there were videos of them going into the pool (I think after fish). Do they still go in the water? I have seen a lot of pumas at many zoos (cats are my area of interest), but I have never seen one in the water. My local Arizona Sonora Desert Museum has a sign saying they go in the water when it is hot, but I have lived here 18 years and have never seen it, so honestly I do not believe the sign.

I haven't seen them in the water either, yet, this was only my 1st time being at the zoo where the weather was good enough to be able to swim.

Yes it is a giant improvement to what I thought it was going to be (all rocks).

On my past two visits I have seen the cougars running and leaping through the stream and waterfalls and splashing their paws in the pool, but neither time did they actually enter the pool.

I do have to say that they are quite possibly the most active cats I've ever seen in a zoo; they certainly make use of their entire exhibit (well almost all of it ).

Apparently the cougars do continue to use the pool:
Tecumseh Cools Off | Flickr - Photo Sharing!