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Tocho arrived at the Sanctuary at 8 months old in November 2012
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Tocho moved away from the Sanctuary in 2020 and arrived back on the 20th October 2025
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Tocho lives next door to his aunt Valentina
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His name derives from the Hopi language, meaning "mountain lion"
The Big Cat Sanctuary is delighted to welcome back Tocho, our handsome male puma, who returned to the sanctuary to enjoy a well-earned retirement. Tocho first arrived at just eight months old in 2012 and quickly became a favourite thanks to his striking looks and calm confidence.
After spending eight happy years with us, he moved away in 2020 while we focused on developing and improving habitats. Now, five years later, Tocho has come home to Kent to spend his golden years in peace and comfort under the expert care of our keeping team.
Tocho is a reserved cat who prefers to watch the world from afar, taking everything in with a quiet curiosity. He’s wonderfully observant and enjoys engaging with enrichment like cardboard tubes and interesting scents. Known for his healthy appetite, Tocho loves all kinds of food and always eats with a gentle, unhurried manner that perfectly reflects his laid-back nature.
Pumas have the widest range of any cat, stretching from Canada to South America, and are known by many names, including cougar, mountain lion, and panther.
They appear in two main colour phases: warm tawny and cinnamon tones, or cooler shades of grey and slate. Adapted for mountain life, pumas have long tails for balance, large padded feet, small rounded ears to reduce heat loss, and powerful hind legs for climbing and leaping. Fine hairs between their paw pads help them move silently while stalking prey.
Larger individuals tend to live in the northern and southern extremes of their range, with smaller cats found near the equator. Exceptionally strong, adult males can take down prey as large as horses.
Pumas communicate through a range of sounds, from hisses and chirrups to their famous “scream,” believed to attract mates.
Adult pumas are solitary, coming together only to mate or raise kittens. After a 90–96 day gestation, litters of one to six blind, spotted kittens are born. Breeding occurs year-round, though it becomes more seasonal further north and south, with most births between April and September in the north, and February to June in the south.
Kittens open their eyes after about a week, begin eating meat at six to eight weeks, and are weaned by twelve weeks, though they may continue to nurse if the mother allows. Their spots fade around six months, when they start hunting for themselves. Young pumas disperse at 12–18 months, but typically breed only after establishing their own territories, around age three for males and two and a half for females.
Pumas face growing threats from habitat loss and fragmentation caused by human development. Conflict with people, including retaliatory and pre-emptive killing, remains a major issue, fuelled by outdated myths and fear. In some areas, prey depletion, hunting, and poaching also threaten populations across their range.