A young male mountain lion is continuing to recover after being struck in Simi Valley and found on the side of a road the night before Thanksgiving.
The 5-month-old cub was transported the next morning – Thanksgiving Day – to San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center to be treated by its Project Wildlife team.
Along with being dehydrated, X-rays showed the mountain lion had a severely fractured hind leg.
Three surgeries and nearly a month later, the large cat was finally able to move to an outdoor enclosure with areas for the cub to explore and regain his strength, the Humane Society said.
“It’s important he has minimal contact with the rehab specialists to ensure he does not get used to human presence,” Campus Director Andy Blue said. “We monitor him with cameras daily and are pleased to see he is self-limiting his activities while healing from his injury.”
Veterinarians determined the fracture was healing well and the mountain lion was gaining weight during a sedated recheck on Jan. 26.
“Mountain lions are apex predators, so it is crucial for this cub to be fully recovered and able to survive and hunt on his own,” the Humane Society stated.
In the wild, mountain lion cubs will usually stay with their mothers until they are about 15 months old, the Humane Society said.