It was an unusual sight. A young mountain lion, entirely on its own for several days in the sprawling Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California.
He let out a soft sound, somewhere between a purr and a faint whimper, as if searching for his mother, reports agencies.
But where was she?
Biologists from the National Park Service, who track the region’s small population of mountain lions, visited the cub’s location multiple times.
Their conclusion: the mother had likely moved to another den, leaving the cub behind. The kitten’s condition began to decline. He grew weaker and started losing weight.
After consulting with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the biologists stepped in to rescue him. The cub was eventually taken to the Oakland Zoo for care.
According to the zoo’s CEO, Nik Dehejia, the three-week-old, later named “Crimson”, arrived in late March severely malnourished and too weak to stand.
“He was incredibly tiny,” Dehejia said, noting the newborn could easily fit in a pair of cupped hands.
