VIDEO: What has whiskers, a big red ax, and loves full containment on wildfires?
Cal Fire unveiled its new mascot, Captain Cal, Tuesday morning at a news conference on the steps of the state Capitol.
Captain Cal is a bipedal mountain lion with a friendly smile who loves giving high-fives with his impressive paws. He’s also an effort by the state agency to help boost youth-centric education efforts about fire safety and wildfires.
His motto: “Safety starts with you.”
Legislative leaders and top administrators with the state fire agency, including Cal Fire Director Thom Porter, spoke briefly about this year’s fire season and what Captain Cal represents.
“The mountain lion ... is really a California icon,” Porter said. “We could’ve gone with a bear, but then we would’ve been competing with Smokey. We didn’t want to compete with Smokey. And the cougar, or mountain lion, is ubiquitous to all of California. It really is in all corners of the state.”