UH on cubs at Houston Zoo: 'We're proud to have them as representations of the Cougar pride'

The University of Houston (UH) and the Houston Zoo have invited the public to view the school’s newest live mascot and his brother, per a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU. 

The station reported that Shasta VII and sibling Louie, who are five months old, made their public debut on Friday, taking up temporary residence across the black bears.

UH’s Twitter account explained that the cubs were found orphaned in Washington state just like Shasta VII’s late predecessor Shasta VI and his brother. 

“At just four weeks old, they were unlikely to survive in the wild,” the tweet read. “They now live at their new home under the amazing care of the @houstonzoo. “We're proud to have them as representations of the Cougar pride at the University of Houston!” 

Shasta VI died of a progressive spinal disease over the summer, Houston Daily reported.

KHOU reported that after the cubs’ rescue, they were placed under quarantine and nursed back to health. 

"It's been definitely a journey with these two,” the zoo’s Tori Miller said in the report. “When they came in they were very small, a little bit underweight, so our vet clinic did an amazing job nursing them back up." 

Zookeepers divulged to the station that Shasta VII has a sense of adventure while Louie is the duo’s designated foodie.

Per the zoo on Twitter, the two will move to the main cougar habitat once they’re big enough. 

A blog on the zoo’s website said that students currently enrolled at UH can visit free of charge just by reserving an online ticket and presenting their student identification (ID) card upon their arrival. 

KHOU reported that the kid cougars were warmly received by UH president and system chancellor Dr. Renu Khator and the Spirit of Houston marching band.