Baby mountain lion sick after humans warmed it up and fed it bratwurst, Co. officials say

A baby mountain lion was brought inside a home and fed human food by people who broke the law, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

“Friends, we shouldn’t have to tell you to not bring mountain lion kittens inside and feed them bratwursts,” the department tweeted.

The cub got sick from the food, but appears “to be in good health otherwise,” said district wildlife manager Travis Sauder, according to the release.

The humans posted photos about the wildlife encounter to social media on Nov. 12, the release states. In the photos, the mountain lion was inside of a cage.

The humans said they found the kitten “in a snowbank after a snowplow passed by,” the release states, and that they brought it inside to warm up and “thaw out.” The humans also said they released the mountain lion after it was thawed, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

But on Nov. 13 when wildlife officials went to the Walsenburg home, they saw that the mountain lion had not actually been released back into the wild, the release states.

The mountain lion was also sick from “being fed bratwurst,” the release states. Bratwurst, or brats, is a German sausage.

“That’s the wurst idea, ever,” the department tweeted.

Biologists believe the cub is less than six months old and “was fed human food when it probably was not yet weaned from its mother’s milk,” according to the release.

The sick cub was sent to nonprofit Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation. The mountain lion could not be released back to where it was found because it “was kept far too long by humans.”

“It had been almost 30 hours since it was picked up Monday and its mom would not be in the area any longer,” Sauder said in the release. “This is why it’s vital to leave baby wildlife where you find them and call us immediately.”

Sauder also said there is no reason for humans to bring a mountain lion inside to “thaw out.”

“Wild animals do not need to ‘thaw out’ because they are equipped by nature to survive cold and snow,” he said in the release. “When we do have orphaned wildlife, it’s important we get them to licensed rehabilitators who specialize in raising these wild animals, who know what to feed them and how to care for them so we can successfully release them back into the wild once they mature.”

It is illegal to possess a wild animal like a mountain lion in Colorado, according to the release.

This story was originally published November 18, 2018 at 2:15 PM.