Name: Sonko Species: Puma (Puma concolor)
Age: approximately 3 years old
Location: Parque Machía
Sonko Arrived at the park at 20 March 2004 approximately 6 months old. He was raised by a family and has been well treated. When he got too big for them to handle they gave him to the refuge. Pasqual (the refuges vet at the time) brought him by bus from Santa Cruz. He arrived with the name Leoncio but some of the refuge volunteers chose the name Sonko for him. It means "Heart" in the Indian language Quechua. The name fits him perfectly. Sonko is a well behaved, very affectionate laid back cat and most of his volunteers fall in love with him.
Sonko and Roy are neighbors and share their trails but they are quite the opposite of each other. If Roy is known as "The Running Machine" then Sonko is known as "The Lazy One".
If Roy has really long legs and a slim build, then Sonko is shorter (not by much) and has a much bulkier build. You may call him fat and lazy, but you don't want him to hear you. Although, in the past year he has become much more active and faster on the trails. Sonko loves to go to the beach or to a little pond he has on his trail and swim. For some reason he will only go in the water after one of the volunteers has.
At April 2006 a new cage was built for Sonko. His old cage was too small for him and was falling apart. Sonko loves his new home so much that the day after he moved in he didn't want to leave and go on his daily walk( he usually runs out of his cage to do the walk). This happy occasion was possible thanks to the amazing effort of two volunteers, Annabelle and Stuart (who have done wonders at the refuge for almost 2 years).
Since Sonko and Roy use the same trails they sometimes meet (something the volunteers are trying to avoid). Roy doesn't really care since he is bigger then him but Sonko cares and gets irritated even by his scent.
Sonko will never be able to return to the wild. Having spent his first years in captivity his ability to hunt and kill his own food has developed but not enough for him to survive in the wild. In addition, because he was raised by a family, he does not have the basic fear of humans and if released he might wonder off to populated areas.
Now Sonko is approximately 3 years old and he has grown to be the most affectionate and strongest Puma at the park (second only to Roy). His weight is estimated around 60 kilos.
Sonko and Roy are neighbors and share their trails but they are quite the opposite of each other. If Roy is known as "The Running Machine" then Sonko is known as "The Lazy One".
If Roy has really long legs and a slim build, then Sonko is shorter (not by much) and has a much bulkier build. You may call him fat and lazy, but you don't want him to hear you. Although, in the past year he has become much more active and faster on the trails. Sonko loves to go to the beach or to a little pond he has on his trail and swim. For some reason he will only go in the water after one of the volunteers has.At April 2006 a new cage was built for Sonko. His old cage was too small for him and was falling apart. Sonko loves his new home so much that the day after he moved in he didn't want to leave and go on his daily walk( he usually runs out of his cage to do the walk). This happy occasion was possible thanks to the amazing effort of two volunteers, Annabelle and Stuart (who have done wonders at the refuge for almost 2 years).
Since Sonko and Roy use the same trails they sometimes meet (something the volunteers are trying to avoid). Roy doesn't really care since he is bigger then him but Sonko cares and gets irritated even by his scent.
Sonko will never be able to return to the wild. Having spent his first years in captivity his ability to hunt and kill his own food has developed but not enough for him to survive in the wild. In addition, because he was raised by a family, he does not have the basic fear of humans and if released he might wonder off to populated areas.Now Sonko is approximately 3 years old and he has grown to be the most affectionate and strongest Puma at the park (second only to Roy). His weight is estimated around 60 kilos.
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