California has experienced historic wildfires recently, causing unprecedented destruction and displacing thousands from their homes.
It’s a devastating situation, but we can take some solace in the glimmers of good news, like the many pets who have miraculously survived the fires.
Now, another animal has been rescued from the rubble: an orphaned mountain lion cub.
According to CNN, the cub, only 3 or 4 weeks old, was rescued by a firefighter in Shasta County in the midst of the Zogg Fire, which has spread over 56,000 acres.
The cub was hurt by the fire: his paws were badly burned and his whiskers were singed off.
He was transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and then brought to the Oakland Zoo for treatment.
While the cub was burned, his carers say he’s lucky to be alive at all — and is in good spirits considering all he’s been through.
“It’s a miracle that he’s alive,” Erin Harrison of the Oakland Zoo told CNN.
“He was alert & feisty, so that gave me hope that he would be okay,” said wildlife biologist Pete Fugura of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Oakland Zoo and UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital are now caring for the cub, providing pain medication and antibiotics for his wounds.
Tests did not reveal any smoke damage to his lungs or broken bones. The staff has been bottle feeding him milk.
“We are doing everything we can to nurture him back to health,” the zoo wrote on Instagram.
The staff is “cautiously optimistic” that he will make a full recovery. Sadly, however, the cub is an orphan and is unable to be released into the wild. He will most likely be placed in an accredited zoo.
We’re so glad this mountain lion cub survived the fires, and wish him a speedy recovery and good life. Thank you to everyone who helped save this cub, from the firefighter to the zoo staff.
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