Hear mountain lion’s playful growls as she tumbles with cub in California videos
A mountain lion spent an afternoon playing with her cub in what could be some of their last days together in the California mountains.
Their play date took place right in front of a wildlife photographer’s well-placed trail cameras in the Santa Ana Mountains, offering a rare glimpse into how the elusive cats live in the wild.
Robert Dlugos posted the videos to his Instagram page three weeks into June. The clips show the lions playfully ambushing, wrestling and snuggling each other.
Because of how big the cub has grown, it can be difficult to tell which cat is the mom and which is the cub in the videos.
A video posted June 20 shows one of the cats licking the other’s neck before plopping its hind end onto the other’s torso. The pinned cat wrestles itself out from under the other cat’s rear and they paw at each other lazily.
“Female cougar enjoying an afternoon napping and playing with her juvenile cub,” Dlugos said /in the caption of the video. “They spent about an hour in front of my cameras. Feel very lucky and blessed to have been able to capture this beautiful moment!”
Dlugos did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for information July 7.
“Nature at its best,” someone commented. “Thanks for sharing this love between mother and child.”
Dlugos posted another video June 21 that shows one cat purring and yowling as the other approaches for another scuffle.
On June 22, Dlugos shared a video of the pair playing “tag” with each other — for what could possibly be one of the last times.
“The cub is probably around 1 ½ years old and will soon be leaving momma,” he said in the caption.
Young mountain lions usually go off on their own after about 15 months when their mom has taught them how to hunt and survive, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
While mountain lions birth several kittens each spring, their populations aren’t increasing because many of them are killed by car collisions, rodenticides and habitat loss, according to wildlife blog Orange County Outdoors.
But their presence is important to keep deer populations in check and maintain a balanced ecosystem, according to the blog.
In other videos, Dlugos shared with his followers that one mountain lion he follows originally had three cubs, but he knew of only one that survived.
“Look who still has a cub!! And it’s getting so big,” he said in the caption on the video. “She had 3 cubs originally. Glad to see one is thriving.”
This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Hear mountain lion’s playful growls as she tumbles with cub in California videos."
