Oakland Zoo treating burned cub.
The young cub suffered injuries to his paws in the Zogg fire near Redding
A severely burned mountain lion cub, assumed to be orphaned, was rescued by a Cal Fire firefighter at the scene of the Zogg fire near Redding and is being treated at Oakland Zoo.
The cub, believed to be only 4 to 6 weeks old, initially was treated by California Department of Fish and Wildlife veterinarians.
Oakland Zoo received an urgent call for assistance around 5 p.m. Wednesday, and the Fish and Wildlife officials transferred care of the cub to the zoo’s veterinary team.
The male cub, weighing less than 4 pounds, suffered burns to his paws, and his whiskers were completely singed off. He also has severe irritation to his eyes.
Oakland Zoo’s Dr. Lynette Waugh, with staff veterinar y technicians, cleaned the cub and administered antibiotics, supportive fluids and pain medicine. They also fed the cub kitten formula through a syringe.
In the hours that the zoo has been treating the cub, he has improved. Dr. Alex Herman said the cub is eating on his own and acting feisty, both promising signs for his recovery. More good news: X- rays taken on Thursday found no damage to his lungs from smoke inhalation or bone damage to his paws.
Oakland Zoo’s veterinary team also is working with UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital for its expertise in providing the most advanced care in treating the cub’s burn wounds.
“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,” CDFW’s senior wildlife veterinarian Dr. Deana Clifford said. “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.”
Because of the cub’s young age and size, it won’t be possible to release him back into the wild, zoo officials said. Mountain lion cubs stay with their mothers for the first two years of their lives. Once the cub has healed, the zoo will search for a suitable new home for him.
Dr. Alex Herman, director of Oakland Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital, praised the partnership and the quick actions by firefighters, law enforcement and Fish and Wildlife.
“It’s an amazing effor t between Cal Fire, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department and of course our partners at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife,” Herman said. “In the past two years, this marks our 13th 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.”
Mountain lions face numerous threats in California, where they often are struck by cars or illegally poached. They also find themselves at odds with humans, who encroach on their territories. Oakland Zoo partners with conservation organizations including the Mountain Lion Foundation and the Bay Area Puma Project to educate the public on the issue and help conserve the species in the wild.
Oakland Zoo also founded BACAT (Bay Area Cougar Action Team) in 2013, an alliance with the Bay Area Puma Project and the Mountain Lion Foundation, to help support the CDFW to save mountain lions caught in the human-wildlife conflict.