Mountain lion cub was hit by car. See his ‘promising recovery’ in California
A mountain lion cub has proven that he might be ready to return to the California wilderness after recovering from being hit by a car.
The cub’s skull was fractured, and he suffered head and eye trauma in the mid-January crash, the San Diego Humane Society said in a news release on April 5, the start of National Wildlife Week.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife found the cub injured on the side of the road and took him to an animal hospital for initial treatment, officials said. The cub was then transferred to the humane society’s Ramona Wildlife Center for “specialized rehabilitation.”
X-rays showed the skull fracture in addition to “significant head and eye trauma,” and the cub showed “lameness” in his left hind leg, indicating it was also likely injured, officials said. The cub appears to limp in a video shared in the release.
Miraculously, the cub didn’t need surgery, The Orange County Register reported. “His injuries were healing well” when staff examined him, the outlet reported.
The team monitored him around the clock, providing pain medications and nutritional support until he improved enough to move to an outdoor enclosure “where he could safely regain his strength while minimizing human interaction,” officials said.
It wasn’t long before the cub started hunting on his own and avoiding humans altogether, showing he’ll soon be ready to return to the wild, officials said.
The whole process took about 80 days, the humane society said. But he still needs to gain weight and meet other benchmarks that indicate he can survive on his own in the wild.
“We work closely with CDFW to determine the best timing for his return to the wild,” said Autumn Nelson, wildlife operations manager at the wildlife center. “Our job here is to set him up for success — to ensure he can fend for himself and stay away from human conflict.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Mountain lion cub was hit by car. See his ‘promising recovery’ in California."
