Rescued cub shows his spirit — and fangs
Captain’s scorched and mottled fur looked as though it had been dipped in ashes and rolled in mud. The shredded pads on his four paws called to mind hamburger meat, the veterinarians said.
The orphaned mountain lion cub was clinging to life when he arrived at the Oakland Zoo a week ago, rescued from the ruins of the Zogg Fire in Shasta County. He was anemic, dehydrated and badly burned.
“Another day or two and he would have died,” said Dr. Alex Herman, the zoo’s medical director and one of several veterinarians overseeing his care.
But Captain’s fighting spirit — and his fangs — were on full display Wednesday as a team of veterinary technicians gingerly smoothed cream on his burns and inspected his bandaged paws. He growled and hissed as they pressed a stethoscope to his chest to check his breathing.
Swaddled in his pink towel, his round eyes gleaming, Captain was the very picture of cuteness on Wednesday. He is also a distressing emblem of the destruction wrought by climate change, Herman is quick to point out.
The 6weekold cub, named for the Cal Fire mascot Captain Cal, has made steady progress under the attentive care of the zoo’s veterinarians, though his survival is not yet certain. The severity of his injuries, coupled with budding infections, is putting immense strain on his immune system.
“I look at his lab work, and I’m worried,” Herman said. “Then I look at him and I think, ‘ You’ve got this, buddy.’ ”
Herman is hopeful that, with extensive treatment, Captain will survive his injuries and grow into a majestic 150pound mountain lion like the ones that roam the zoo’s enclosures. The zoo has rehabilitated more than a dozen lion cubs in recent years, most orphaned by car crashes.
Captain is the youngest
cub the zoo has taken in and is thought to be its first one orphaned by fire.
“He is a potent symbol of the crisis situation we are in,” she said. “We all need to mobilize.”
Climatologists say wildfire seasons are likely to get worse as higher temperatures dry out vegetation, leading to more catastrophic blazes. Long, dry summers and arid autumns could become the new norm, a scenario that would spell trouble for California’s wildlife populations.
More cubs like Captain could be orphaned or killed as wildfire seasons intensify, and environmentalists are concerned they lack adequate protections. Under pressure from animal rights groups, the California Fish and Game Commission voted in April to review whether mountain lions should be considered an endangered species. They are currently listed as a “specially protected species.”
Captain will never be released into the wild — that possibility perished along with his mother and siblings in the Zogg Fire. But he could be transferred to a mountain lion sanctuary once he recovers. The zoo does not have the space to keep him, but it has longestablished relationships with accredited wildlife refugee centers around the state.
In the meantime, he may get some muchneeded company, Herman said. Two additional mountain lion cubs are scheduled to arrive at the zoo next week. Like Captain, they were orphaned in the Zogg Fire and rescued by firefighters.
“He is a potent symbol of the crisis situation we are in. We all need to mobilize.” Dr. Alex Herman, Oakland Zoo medical director
The introductions will be done carefully to allow Captain and the cubs to become acclimated to one another. Being alone in the facility without litter mates has been hard on Captain. The veterinary staff have observed him chirping and calling out for attention. Mountain lions are highly social and the presence of other cubs may do wonders for his health, the veterinarians said.
But it may be several weeks before Captain is allowed to play with his new mates.
He is recovering from three surgeries to remove dead tissue on the pads of his feet. One toe had to be amputated. He has intestinal worms. He’s battling infections in his eyes and on his paws, which the veterinarians are treating with targeted rounds of antibiotics.
The roundtheclock care, funded by the zoo’s members, is giving Captain a fighting chance. But for the veterinarians, it’s hard not to focus on what the orphaned cub lost in the fire.
“I’m a good vet, but I’m not a very good panther mom,” Herman said.