OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Animal control officials rescued a critically ill mountain lion cub in Northern California and veterinarians named her “Holly” for the holidays as they treat her in intensive care, the Oakland Zoo said Tuesday.
A Santa Cruz resident spotted the cub on her property Monday and alerted the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the zoo said in a Twitter thread. Animal control waited to see if the cub’s mother would return and took the animal to the zoo when she didn’t.
Zoo vets estimate the cub is three to four months old and critically ill. She was treated with fluids, vitamins and medicines. While that improved the cub’s blood work, she still doesn’t stand or move often, the zoo said.
“We hope she’s doing better, but we’re watching it every day,” the zoo said.
The goal is to release animals back into the wild, but with seriously ill or young cubs like Holly, the zoo said, veterinarians are committed to “caring for them until they recover enough to find suitable forever homes.”
