Rescuers Save 3 Mountain Lion Cubs Found Hiding Under a Car After Their Mother's Death

Mar. 15, 2025

Two of the orphaned mountain lion cubs who are receiving care at the Oakland Zoo.Photo:Oakland Zoo

Oakland Zoo

Three orphaned mountain lion cubs are in the care of the Oakland Zoo’s veterinary hospital after rescuers found the wild animals alone several weeks after the death of the cubs' mother.

One of the orphaned mountain lion cubs.Oakland Zoo

The zoo’s press release described Fern, Thistle, and Spruce as “relatively healthy but thin” based on their first zoo exam. The zoo attributed the cubs' low weight to the time the “disoriented” animals spent alone. Mountain lions usually spend two years under their mother’s care before entering the wild solo.

A mountain lion cub receives an exam at the Oakland Zoo’s veterinary hospital.Oakland Zoo

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Once they fully recover, the three cubs won’t stay at the Oakland Zoo or return to the wilderness. Without a mother to teach them survival skills, they cannont survive independently. The zoo said it would work with the CDFW to find the cubs “a new forever home at an appropriate institution.”

source: people.com