Photo taken on Feb. 20, 2021 shows the puma family in Shanghai Zoo, east China's Shanghai. Recently, Shanghai Zoo named three puma cubs born in September last year "Huowa", "Leiwa" and "Xiwang". The two male pumas were named "Huowa" and "Leiwa" to commemorate Huoshenshan Hospital and Leishenshan Hospital, which were swiftly built for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Wuhan. The female cub was born weak but later recovered, so it was named "Xiwang", which means hope in Chinese.(Photo: Xinhua)

US authorities have rescued from a New York apartment a feline that was no house cat, but was an 36-kilogram wild cougar.

The 11-month-old puma, called Sasha, was living inside a home in the Bronx, officials said.

She was rescued last week in a joint operation by police, the Humane Society of the United States, city officials and Bronx Zoo personnel.

The owner "surrendered" the big cat and was present during the removal, the groups said in a statement Monday.

The mountain cat was taken to the Bronx Zoo, where veterinarians examined her over the weekend.

Sasha was then transported to Turpentine Creek animal sanctuary in Arkansas, which cares for neglected big cats.

"This cougar is relatively lucky that her owners recognized a wild cat is not fit to live in an apartment or any domestic environment," said Kelly Donithan, director of animal disaster response for the Humane Society.

"The owner's tears and nervous chirps from the cougar as we drove her away painfully drives home the many victims of this horrendous trade and myth that wild animals belong to anywhere but the wild," she added.

AFP