An orphaned mountain lion cub who was in critical condition when she arrived at the San Diego Humane Society's Project Wildlife campus in Ramona on Sep. 2 is now in stable condition and has doubled in weight, officials announced Wednesday.
The cub was spotted by firefighters from the Vista Grande Fire Station near an Idyllwild road, in Riverside County, on Sept. 2, San Diego Humane Society spokeswoman Nina Thompson said. The cub was weak, semiconscious, extremely emaciated, dehydrated and had tremors.
The Humane Society's Project Wildlife team took the 10.5-pound female cub — estimated to be 14 weeks old — to the Ramona campus and treated her with daily fluid therapy and various medications, Thompson said.
Within a couple of weeks, the cub slowly transitioned to eating solid food and has doubled in weight to 22 pounds, she said.
"With each passing day, she becomes more active and responsive," said Christine Barton, director of operations and wildlife rehabilitation at the Humane Society's Ramona campus. "Though she still has some medical issues to overcome from being in such a fragile state, we are delighted she has responded well to our treatment and are hopeful she will make a full recovery."
Mountain lions typically stay with their mother until they disperse to live a solitary life at around 12-18 months of age. Because it is not safe to return a young mountain lion to the wild if found injured or orphaned as a kitten, Project Wildlife has been working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to monitor her progress and when stabilized, to ensure she has a good permanent home at a qualified facility.
The cub is the first wildlife patient admitted at the San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife's Ramona campus.
