The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has rescued three juvenile mountain lion cubs that were discovered orphaned in San Mateo County and are currently receiving treatment at the Oakland Zoo.
Two male cubs and one female cub were discovered in the Portola Valley subdivision earlier this month and were transported to Oakland on Sunday, according to a zoo release. Since then, the female cub has been given the name “Fern,” and the male cubs have been given the names “Thistle” and “Spruce.”
About three tenths of a mile from the location where Fern, Spruce, and Thistle were discovered, CDFW officers suspect their mother was hit by a car on Portola Valley Road. Although several people saw the mountain lion after it was struck, the carcass has since vanished, and authorities have not been able to use DNA to prove the kittens’ kinship with the adult.
The cubs were eventually discovered cowering beneath a car after being discovered walking around a Portola Valley area after the crash, according to the zoo. After that, wildlife officials kept an eye out for any indications that a mother was looking for her pups, but they were unable to find any.
“Due to their disoriented behavior, lack of a mother for two weeks, and proximity to where the adult female was hit, CDFW decided to capture the kittens for evaluation with help from the Midpeninsula Open Space District,” said the zoo.
The cubs were examined at the zoo’s veterinary hospital and found to be “relatively healthy” but underweight. Thistle, Spruce, and Fern are thought to be three months old.
The cubs are still receiving care at the veterinary hospital as of Wednesday. According to the zoo, the three cannot go back to the wild since cubs require roughly two years with their mother to develop survival abilities.
According to officials, Fern, Spruce, and Thistle will no longer be at the zoo. To find a permanent home for the cubs, the zoo will collaborate with CDFW to locate a “appropriate institution.”
As part of the Bay Area Cougar Action Team (BACAT), a collaboration between CDFW, mountain lion researchers, local parks, and nonprofit organizations, the zoo said that they have performed at least 30 mountain lion rescues.
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