Two malnourished mountain lion cubs found under a parked car in Burbank Dec. 20 have been transferred to an organization in Paso Robles, which has agreed to permanently care for them.
By Paula Kashtan / Special to The Malibu Times
When the mountain lion cubs reached the California Wildlife Center, it was clear they had had some rough going.
“Their body condition being so poor was evidence that they had been on their own for a few weeks,” Cindy Reyes, executive director of the Wildlife Center, said.
The two three-month-old mountain lions were found on Dec. 20 hiding underneath a parked car in Burbank.
Both cubs were very emaciated and dehydrated, and had internal and external parasites. They hadn’t eaten for two weeks or so. Normal weight for three-month-old cubs is at least twenty pounds, and the cubs were about ten pounds each when they were found.
The cubs were taken to the Burbank Animal Clinic, then moved to the Wildlife Center for medical care.
Reyes believes the cubs came from the Santa Monica Mountains in the area around Verdugo Hills, where mountain lions are common.
“We’re not sure why the mom disappeared, but at some point she didn’t come back,” Reyes said. “The cubs were pretty far from a natural area, given that they were about half an hour from somewhere you’d traditionally see mountain lions.”
After being taken to the Wildlife Center on Tuesday, the cubs were transferred to Zoo to You, an organization in Paso Robles that educates youth on wildlife, for long-term care.
“Because they are so young and have so many months of care ahead of them, they will spend the rest of their lives in a facility,” Reyes said. “The organization in Paso Robles has agreed to take them forever, and will be their new home.”
Many months of recovery are ahead for the cubs. They both need to gain significant weight, and will learn new behaviors. They could potentially be used as educational animals in schools once they are healthy and trained.
If done quickly enough, cubs who are separated from their mothers can be reunited, but since they’ve already been apart for so long, this isn’t a possibility for the two lion cubs in question. Reyes wants to use the incident as a teachable moment.
“If you do see mountain lions in an odd area, you shouldn’t be afraid,” Reyes said. “Call animal control, who are trained to handle such situations.”