‘Emaciated’ young mountain lion gains strength at wildlife rehab. See it learn to hunt
A young mountain lion was “emaciated” and weak when it was found weighing just 29 pounds in southwest Colorado, wildlife officials said.
Over the next few months, the cougar was able to regain strength and put on some weight under the care of wildlife rehabilitation staff.
The animal’s chances of survival really started looking up when it learned to hunt small mammals at the facility, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southwest Region said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The young mountain lion was found outside Naturita in the spring, officials said in the July 30 post. The town is about a 400-mile drive west from Colorado Springs.
Officials brought it to the agency’s Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Del Norte, where it started regaining strength under facility manager Michael Sirochman’s care, officials said.
“Once it was again ready to hunt its own prey, small mammals such as rabbits helped in the rehab process,” officials said.
A video shows the young cougar scampering around an enclosed pen as it pursues a rabbit.
The cougar developed its hunting skills in aspen grove terrain in another enclosed area of the facility, officials said. A photo shows the aspen grove, which provided the type of environment the mountain lion would find in the wild.
The mountain lion weighed 65 pounds by the time it was ready to be released, officials said.
Videos show the cougar sprinting from a cage into the wilderness.
“It was deemed ideal to release the lion back to the wild in mid-summer so it would have plenty of time to hunt small mammals ahead of winter while it relearned how to bring down larger prey such as deer,” officials said. “It can be very difficult to rehab lions that haven’t learned to hunt deer from mom, so it’s not always possible. We wish this lion luck.”
This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 1:59 PM.
