The mountain lion suffered from a skull fracture, head and eye trauma, and lameness in his left hind leg. The organization is also caring for two orphaned mountain lion cubs who arrived at the Ramona center on March 26. (San Diego Humane Society)RAMONA, CA — A young mountain lion struck by a vehicle was released back into the wild after nearly five months of rehabilitation at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center, officials announced Sunday.The male mountain lion, estimated to be around 10 months old,...
The mountain lion suffered from a skull fracture, head and eye trauma, and lameness in his left hind leg.
The organization is also caring for two orphaned mountain lion cubs who arrived at the Ramona center on March 26. (San Diego Humane Society)
RAMONA, CA — A young mountain lion struck by a vehicle was released back into the wild after nearly five months of rehabilitation at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center, officials announced Sunday.
The male mountain lion, estimated to be around 10 months old, was released by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife into a remote location of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County on June 17. He was transferred to San Diego Humane Society on Jan. 15 after being struck by a vehicle four days earlier and receiving emergency veterinary care at Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in Orange County.
The mountain lion suffered from a skull fracture, head and eye trauma, and lameness in his left hind leg, according to San Diego Humane Society.
During the initial weeks, the organization's Project Wildlife team care focused on providing pain management, nutritional support and close observation. As he stabilized, he was moved to an outdoor enclosure, where he continued to heal with minimal human contact in preparation for life back in the wild.
"This is the moment we all work toward — seeing a wild animal return to where they belong," said Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the center. "Our job is to provide medical care while preserving the animal's wild instincts, so they have the best possible chance at surviving on their own."
The Ramona Wildlife Center specializes in the rehabilitation of native apex predators and birds of prey, including eagles, owls, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, bears and, under special case-by-case authorization, mountain lions. The nonprofit serves as the primary resource for wildlife rehabilitation in San Diego County.
The organization is also caring for two orphaned mountain lion cubs who arrived at the Ramona center on March 26. The UC Davis California Carnivores Program Team and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife safely trapped the cubs, who were found alone, and transferred them to the organization, where they are undergoing rehabilitation.
Officials said their goal is to raise the cubs in a setting that limits human interaction and allows them to build essential survival skills. Once they reach a healthy weight, exhibit appropriate wariness of people, and demonstrate independent hunting behavior, they will also be considered for release into suitable habitat.