Orphaned Mountain Lion Cub Spotted by Hikers Gets Rescued

April 15, 2022

An orphaned mountain lion cub spotted by hikers in San Mateo, California, has been rescued after a five day search.

orphan mountain lion cub rescue
Credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife

The 4-month-old cub was retrieved by California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists and brought to the Oakland Zoo's veterinary hospital on Sunday night.

According to the zoo, she arrived "in bad shape".

She weighed only 8 pounds — a healthy female at that age should weigh approximately 30 pounds. She was severely dehydrated, starving, covered in fleas and ticks, and had a very low red blood cell count.

orphan mountain lion cub rescue
Credit: Oakland Zoo

Since arriving at the zoo, the cub has been receiving round-the-clock care, including bottle feeding several times a day, intravenous fluids and daily blood tests.

On Wednesday, she received a blood transfusion from a resident mountain lion and "is recovering well".

Although she is still underweight and fragile, veterinarians are optimistic about Rose's recovery.

Watch the video below.

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