Lion cub struck by vehicle nursed back to health, returned to wild

A mountain lion cub that was struck by a vehicle and sustained horrendous injuries — including a fractured skull — has been released back into the wild, according to the San Diego Humane Society.

It took nearly five months of careful rehabilitation to nurse the young male lion back to health without letting it get too dependent on, or comfortable around, people.

“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,” said Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations manager at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center.

(San Diego Humane Society)

That was a tall order after the cub, who is now about 10 months old, was found in January with its skull fractured, eye trauma and a lame left hind leg after being struck by the vehicle.

The cub was initially treated at Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in Orange County, before being transferred to the humane society for his long-term rehab.

During his first few weeks at the center, staff focused on pain management and getting him to eat. As soon as possible, they moved him to an outdoor enclosure so he could continue his recovery with “minimal human contact,” staff said.

After about 150 days, his caretakers decided he had gained sufficient weight and strength to be released back into the wild. He was also demonstrating natural survival behavior and, crucially, avoiding people.

“This is the moment we all work toward,” Welch said.

So on June 17, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released him into a remote location of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County.

(San Diego Humane Society)

The humane society is still caring for two orphaned mountain lion cubs that arrived at the Ramona Wildlife Center in late March. A team of UC Davis researchers and California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff trapped the cubs after they were found alone.

The goal is to get them healthy — and wary enough of humans — to be safely released back into the wild, too.

“We’re grateful for our partnership with CDFW and UC Davis, and for the opportunity to give these incredible animals a second chance at life in the wild,” Welch said.

The San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program cares for more than 10,000 wild animals each year — including orphaned baby songbirds and apex predators — with the hope of rehabilitating and returning them to their natural habitats.