Two mountain lion cubs rescued from certain death

Mountain lions (Puma concolor, cougars, pumas, among its many other names) are carnivorous, sharp-toothed and clawed big cats. They can be dangerous to livestock, pets, and the occasional human—but their cubs sure are adorable. And absolutely vulnerable, when left orphaned. 

That’s what happened to little Clover, an underweight and tick-infested mountain lion cub that arrived at California’s Oakland Zoo in March after being picked up in El Dorado County, northeast of the zoo. She had to receive a blood transfusion from another mountain lion at the zoo also rescued in El Dorado County back in 2024. 

Clover has been recovering well, however, “her story is sadly too common,” the zoo explains in a social media post. “Mountain lion cubs rely on their mothers for up to two years to teach them essential survival skills. When a kitten is found alone like this, it often means the mother couldn’t return, too often due to vehicle strikes or other human‑wildlife conflicts that can be prevented.”

In fact, at the end of March, another mountain lion cub was entrusted in the care of Oakland Zoo. He was rescued in Southern California and made a pit stop at Los Angeles Zoo before coming up to Oakland Zoo’s veterinary hospital. The little guy experienced an injury before his rescue that has left him without toes on one of his feet, but is doing well overall.  

New rescued mountain lion cub: Clover

According to another social media post, the cub named Crimson, is among the youngest cubs the zoo has ever taken care of. At the time of the post, staff had to feed him every three hours with a bottle. A video from earlier this month features the adorable baby puma grasping into a purple stuffed animal that, according to the caption, helps Crimson figure out how to play, stalk, and pounce. 

Though Crimson and Clover “come from different backgrounds, we’re hoping they’ll become the best of friends once Crimson catches up in size and agility!” the zoo writes in a recent social media update. 
Though mountain lions’ range stretches from Canada all the way down to Chile, the subspecies eastern cougar went extinct in 2011, while the subspecies Florida panthers is endangered. On the other side of the country relative to California, conservation groups are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the authorization of a development project in Florida “smack dab in prime panther habitat,” as described by Jason Totoiu, Florida policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

 

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