But officials at the In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Education Center in the Dallas suburb of Wylie said the cougar was euthanized due to kidney failure, and not the victim of canine distemper that has claimed other big cats.
The refuge announced over the weekend the death of the cougar, a 20-year-old female named Crimson.
Her death was preceded by the recent deaths of five tigers and a lioness in an outbreak of distemper that refuge officials describe as "an absolute living nightmare."
More than a dozen other animals are still suffering from the virus.
Experts believe raccoons likely started the outbreak by crawling around the large outdoor cages.
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