A Mountain lion cub, who is only four to six weeks old, was found near Redding in California earlier this week after the Zogg Fire burned the area killing four people.
The cub, who weighed only 1.7kg, was taken to Oakland Zoo where veterinarians are treating him. They have named him Captain Cal, after the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s mascot, and said that he is reacting well to treatment.
The cub was badly burned, especially his paws, and his whiskers were completely scorched by the fire and he had severe eye irritation. After being cleaned up and given antibiotics, supportive fluids, pain medication and kitten milk formula through a syringe, things are looking up.
Rescued #ZoggFire mountain lion UPDATE: our vet staff treated "Captain Cal" and removed the dead skin from his wounded feet, then wrapped each foot in bandages to heal.
He's drinking formula & getting lots of TLC. We are hopeful that he will continue to improve! pic.twitter.com/5rKIKvhYPM
— Oakland Zoo (@oakzoo) October 4, 2020
Dr Alex Herman said that “the cub is eating on his own and acting feisty – both promising signs for his recovery”. “Unfortunately, a lion this size is too small to be released back into the wild, but we are hopeful that under the zoo’s care, it will get a second chance as an ambassador for its species”. “We’re cautiously optimistic that this cub will now survive and thrive, our dedicated team at Oakland Zoo is fully committed to do everything we can for him and for his beautiful species.”
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