Amid grim news from the Northern California fire zone, one furry sight brought yips of excitement this week when emergency responders rescued a lone mountain lion cub from the burn zone of the Zogg fire in Shasta County.

Despite singed whiskers and burned paws, the blue-eyed cub dubbed Capt. Cal is full of personality and can be seen baring his teeth fiercely in photos.

“He’s doing really well,” said Erin Harrison, vice president of marketing for the Oakland Zoo, where Capt. Cal is being kept. “He’s continuing to eat. He’s getting a little fiestier. He’s looking really good.”

When firefighters in Shasta County first spotted the baby, they mistook him for a house cat, said Issac Sanchez, a Cal Fire captain and spokesman. He was wandering alone on Zogg Mine Road before taking refuge under a fallen tree. When the fire crew took a closer look, they realized the animal was a mountain lion kitten.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.