Orphaned Mountain Lion Cub Burned in Zogg Fire Treated at Oakland Zoo
An orphaned mountain lion cub was treated for severe wildfire burns suffered in the Zogg Fire, burning near Redding, California. The young cub was brought in to the Oakland Zoo on September 30 and is between four and six weeks old.
According to the Oakland Zoo, veterinarians had been on call to help animals injured in the severe wildfires burning across the state. After receiving a call from California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) on Wednesday, the team was there to help treat the burned cub.
This footage shows the cub suffering from several burns and charred skin and fur. Veterinarians could also been seen using a syringe to feed the cub.
“We are so grateful for the Oakland Zoo’s expertise, world-class facilities and willingness to step up – on extremely short notice – to help wildlife in need,” said CDFW’s senior wildlife veterinarian Dr. Deana Clifford in a statement sent to Storyful.
“Partnerships like this are absolutely critical to our state’s efforts to provide emergency care. California’s wildfires are erupting on a scale that we’ve never seen before, and we expect that we’ll have more burn patients than we have the capacity to treat in our own veterinary facility.”
At the time of care, the lion was too small to be considered for release back into the wild and will be kept in custody of the zoo.
According to Cal Fire, the Zogg Fire reached 55,803 acres and was at 39 percent containment on Thursday. Credit: Oakland Zoo via Storyful
