An orphaned mountain lion was rescued by the gold-hearted firefighters from the raging wildfires in California, USA.
The orphaned mountain lion cub was brought to the Oakland Zoo.
The cub is currently recovering with professional care after it was rescued by firefighters that were battling the California wildfires.
It has been reported that the California Wildfires have destroyed 1,887,932 acres of land and burned 3,368 structures, including almost 1,000 homes since it started earlier this year.
The official or estimated numbers of animals killed in the wildfires were not shared with the public.
However, to shine a light on the fact that there is good left in this chaotic world, a mountain lion cub was saved from death.
The cub was rescued from the Zogg fire on Sunday by a heroic firefighter in Shasta County.
The mountain lion cub was transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after being rescued in the forest area.
The lion cub is currently recovering at the Oakland Zoo.
Erin Harrison, the spokesperson of the zoo, released a statement about the incident, where they said that it was a miracle that the cub managed to survive.
The cub had burn injuries all over its body.
Dr. Deana Clifford, the senior wildlife veterinarian at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), said that they are grateful for the expertise that the Oakland Zoo has offered to help out the cub on such short notice.
Dr. Clifford added:
We are so grateful for the Oakland Zoo’s expertise, world-class facilities, and willingness to step up – on extremely short notice – to help wildlife in need. Partnerships like this are absolutely critical to our state’s efforts to provide emergency care. California’s wildfires are erupting on a scale that we’ve never seen before, and we expect that we’ll have more burn patients than we have the capacity to treat in our own veterinary facility.
The current road to recovery for the cub is going good, said the authorities.
Scans that were carried out showed that the cub is on the road to recovery, however, it has injuries on its soft tissue.
Eye irritation and damage on the paws are also significant.
Pain relievers, antibiotics, fluids, and other supplements are being given out to the mountain lion cub to help it survive and recover from the injuries.
Milk is also being given to the cub with the help of a syringe.
Dr. Alex Herman, Director of Oakland Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital, released a statement about the rescue.
The statement reads:
We’re grateful to be part of this amazing little cub’s rescue and rehabilitation. It’s an amazing effort between Cal Fire, the Shasta County Sherriff’s Department, and of course our partners at the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. In the past two years, this marks our thirteenth mountain lion cub rescue for Oakland Zoo in partnership with CDFW. We’re cautiously optimistic that this cub will now survive and thrive, our dedicated team at Oakland Zoo is fully committed to do everything we can for him and for his beautiful species.
Because of the fact that the lion cub has no mother, it will not be sent back to the wild after it recovers from the injuries it sustained in the wildfires.
Once healthy and big, the cub will be getting a new home at an accredited zoo in the country.