Rescue Mission: How A Couple's Love Transformed A Baby Puma's Life

August 4, 2024

Messi is a pet cougar owned by couple Alexandr and Mariya Dmitriev. The Dmitrievs live with Messi in a two-story house on a large plot of land in Penza, Russia.

baby puma messi
Messi / @I_am_puma

Messi was born in captivity and had never known the wild. His early life was spent in a small enclosure, where he was an attraction for zoo visitors. He is significantly smaller than other typical male cougars, and as the species is not native to Russia, he could not be released into the wild. He had numerous other health problems as well, which rendered him unable to live in a zoo or wildlife sanctuary either.

Furthermore, workers at the petting zoo originally planned to euthanize him.

That’s when Alexandr and Mariya took action. While visiting the zoo, they encountered Messi and instantly felt a deep connection, describing it as "love at first sight." Moved by his plight, they offered to give Messi a home, and the zoo agreed to their heartfelt request.

We were surprised ourselves when they agreed", Mariya recalled in an interview with Caters News.