The Oakland Zoo just expanded its animal family by two!
Earlier this week, the California-based facility welcomed two orphaned mountain cubs, according to a press release.
The animals were found along Highway 280, near the Hillsboro and Burlingame area, after an adult female mountain lion, believed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to be the mother of the cubs, was struck and killed by a car on November 9.
About a week after the incident, the Oakland Zoo said in a statement that residents reported seeing the tiny kittens alone near the area, and they were later found safe in a nearby yard.
The animals are approximately six to ten weeks old and weigh 5 lbs. and 5 lbs., 8 oz., the zoo said.
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Oakland Zoo
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Oakland Zoo welcomes 2 orphaned mountain lion cubs.
Oakland Zoo
Mountain lion reported in Penn. The city has turned out to be a big wild house cat, officials reveal
After CDFW rescued the two cubs and transported them to the Oakland Zoo, veterinary hospital staff examined the animals with virus testing, parasite treatment and a blood test, according to the zoo.
The site added that vital fluids were also administered to the “visibly dehydrated kittens,” marking the 25th and 26th rescues of a mountain lion as part of the Oakland Zoo’s Rescue and Recovery Program.
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Oakland Zoo welcomes 2 orphaned mountain lion cubs.
Oakland Zoo
Although the kittens were “undersized and dehydrated,” according to the zoo, the tourist destination noted that the cubs “show no signs of extreme illness” and the facility was waiting to receive results on whether they were anemic and needed blood transfusions.
According to the zoo, the animals are expected to remain in the intensive care unit for several days, but once they are released, they will be moved to a holding area at the zoo’s veterinary hospital until CDFW can determine a suitable home for them. Since the kittens are so young and do not have the survival skills their mother would have taught them, they cannot return to the wild, the zoo added.
“Our team will be caring for the cubs on a daily basis to restore them to full health and overall animal well-being,” Dr. Alex Herman, Oakland Zoo’s vice president of veterinary services, said in a statement.
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Source: HIS Education