Mountain lion cub named Holly found in ‘freezing weather.’ Here’s how she’s doing
A mountain lion found “orphaned in the near-freezing weather” in December is “looking great” while being cared for at a California zoo, where another abandoned cub has joined.
A video Oakland Zoo posted on Facebook on Sunday, Jan. 8, shows Holly approach the camera before letting out a cute, ferocious roar.
“When you’re grumpy because you drank your milk too quickly and the keeper doesn’t have any more,” the zoo said. “Don’t worry, Holly the rescued mountain lion is getting plenty of sustenance, and she’s gaining a lot of healthy weight.”
The zoo said it is now “working on building up her strength so she can start exploring the outdoor portion of her hospital stall.”
At the time of her rescue, the zoo’s veterinarians estimated Holly was between 3 to 4 months old and said she was critically ill, McClatchy News previously reported.
“We are hopeful she continues to improve but are taking it very much day by day,” the zoo said at the time.
And improved she has, as can been seen in the frequent updates about Holly posted on the zoo’s Facebook page.
“Holly is already showing us a calm but curious demeanor. She’s eating a slurry of formula and crunchy food, but has a growing appetite, and we’re working on getting Holly to eat meat,” the zoo posted on Dec. 25, while following up with a video showing Holly’s curious nature two days later.
Holly stopped receiving ICU treatments shortly after, according to a Jan. 3 post from the zoo that included a sweet video of her taking a snooze.
“She’s hitting all her benchmarks, which is a great sign for her recovery,” the zoo wrote.
After her most recent update, the zoo announced the rescue of another abandoned cub, named Hazel, in a Monday, Jan. 9, Facebook post.
“This little one was spotted yesterday in Soquel (near Santa Cruz) by a local resident,” the zoo said.
While mountain lions have cubs year-round, “it’s common to find cubs needing help during winter months,” according to the zoo.
Hazel was taken to the zoo for veterinary care after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife could not find her mother nearby, the zoo said.
She’s estimated to be about 4 or 5 months old, the zoo said. Hazel is “severely emaciated,” only weighing about 12 pounds, and also has “severe anemia and hypoglycemia.”
“We gave her much-needed fluids and set her up with a warm and cozy overnight bed,” the zoo said. “By this morning, vitals had slightly improved, and we are doing everything we can to help her heal.”
The zoo said it will continue to provide updates on the two cubs.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Mountain lion cub named Holly found in ‘freezing weather.’ Here’s how she’s doing."
