Three orphaned mountain lion cubs have found a new home at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Earlier this month, members of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the University of California Karen C. Drayer Center for Wildlife Health and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife rescued the animals, according to a press release shared with PEOPLE.
Using data obtained from a GPS collar worn by the cubs’ mother, the organizations were able to determine where to look for the animals, according to the release. On the first day of the search, team members from the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center found the first cub hiding in a hole, and the second was found the same day between two rocks.
Three days later, researchers found a third baby in the bush. After continuing the search for several more days, the groups, as well as the remote monitoring cameras, did not find any evidence of other cubs, so the rescuers called off the search.
According to the release, each cub was found within 250 feet of each other and likely would not have survived more than a week on their own, given their young ages.
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Saving orphaned lions.
Charlie de la Rosa/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
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After being rescued, the three baby mountain lions were reunited at Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center, where they were “nursed to full health,” according to the release.
The cubs were approximately 6 weeks old at the time of their rescue, and because they were orphaned early, the statement added, they could not be safely returned to their original habitat.
“Mountain lions are a keystone species right here in our backyard,” Lisa Peterson, executive director of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to nurse these young people to full health and you now have the honor of caring for them long-term.”
“While our research teams and our conservation partners continue their work on mountain lions in the field, the Safari Park will be a haven for these three cubs, offering them pristine landscapes and new opportunities to thrive, while sharing with our guests the importance of coexistence among wild animals,” she added.
Mountain lions, which are also known as cougars, cougars or panthers, can be found all over the world, from Canada to South America, according to the National Wildlife Federation. According to the organization, mammals are currently endangered.
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Source: HIS Education