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This is a story about how a class of children in the Black Hills of South Dakota developed a special connection with the Philadelphia Zoo. It all started in August 2005 when an orphaned litter of puma cubs came to the attention of Zoo curators.

Finding a new home for three cougar cubs quickly became a top priority for South Dakota wildlife officials after rescuers found the kittens in their den awaiting the return of their mother, who was not coming back. She had been shot during a legal hunting season. The Philadelphia Zoo heard about the incident and applied to have the cubs come to Bank of America Big Cat Falls, the Zoo's recently opened, state-of-the-art habitat for large and endangered cats. After a relatively short but intensive planning period, the three young cats were transferred to the Zoo by airplane to begin their new life.

Shortly after the cubs' arrival, the Zoo's Docent Council received a website inquiry thru Ask-a-Docent from Gerry Renner, a teacher at the Wilson School in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her initial request was for a Philadelphia Zoo map and a reply to let her know that the young cubs had arrived safely. Ms. Renner's fourth grade class of twenty-six students knew about the puma cubs and their travels. The story had sparked such interest that she saw an opportunity for a great learning experience; and so began a year long exchange of children expanding their knowledge of wild animals living in their own backyard. They read fact and fiction puma stories, books about Lewis and Clark, and received puma fact sheets from the Docent Redbook. They had hands-on learning via a visit with a biologist from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. The biologists who actually rescued the cubs were there as well and brought in the knapsack they had used to carry them to safety. The class learned about the pumas' plight regarding habitat concerns and human/wildlife conflict; and they studied Dakota Indian lore depicting respect and reverence for the wild puma. The class also worked to keep the cats connected to their western roots by sending care packages that contained items for behavioral enrichment and grass seed from the Black Hills that was planted into the pumas' Zoo habitat. Finally, the class painted a six foot long mural honoring the puma, complete with Indian symbols, which now hangs in a Zoo classroom to inspire and be enjoyed by students visiting the Zoo.

This fourth grade learning experience was so broad it cannot all be mentioned here. From sending teething toys to sponsoring the cats in the Zoo's animal ADOPT program, the Wilson School has made a connection from South Dakota to Pennsylvania. Ms. Renner and her class expanded their world by seeking out all the information they could about this elusive and grand hunter. The children and the cubs were highlighted in newspaper articles at home and in Philadelphia and even had ABC news coverage. The knowledge they gained will become a journey for all to better the lives of a wonderful wild creature, the puma.