On Monday morning, August 5, Oakland Zoo assisted in rescuing a male mountain lion cub from El Dorado County. This is the 27th mountain lion rescue through the Zoo’s Bay Area Cougar Action Team (BACAT) alliance.
The cub, which the Zoo has named Briar (inspired by the spots on his fur resembling a blackberry bush), was found by residents walking alone down a road in El Dorado County. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) conducted ground and wildlife camera surveillance where the kitten was found, hoping to find a mother or other siblings to reunite them. However, no mountain lions were detected on the cameras over the weekend. After several days, CDFW decided to rescue Briar and bring him to Oakland Zoo.
The Zoo conducted a full examination and determined that Briar was four to five months old, making him one of the Zoo’s youngest mountain lion rescues. After a few days of care from CDFW, Briar gained some weight and came to the Zoo well-nourished and hydrated, and there was no need to provide fluids. The Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital Team will continue to care for him and monitor him closely as he adapts to human care.
Briar will remain at the Zoo until CDFW identifies a proper home for the cub. Mountain lion cubs need about two years with their mother in the wild to learn survival skills. Because Briar is so young, he lacks those skills and cannot return to the wild.
The population of mountain lions faces various conservation challenges in the wild, such as habitat fragmentation, human-wildlife conflict and climate change. Without information about the cub’s mother, CDFW and the Zoo cannot determine how these factors and many other conservation challenges may have contributed to Briar being orphaned.
The Zoo will continue to post updates on Briar’s journey through their social media platforms.
