Two young mountain lions returned to the wild after receiving months of care at the San Diego Humane Society.
The cubs arrived at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center in March and were in rehabilitation after being found alone and malnourished.
The cubs were released in San Diego County on Sept. 18 after undergoing a rehabilitation program designed to minimize human interaction and prepare them for independent survival, according to a news release from the San Diego Humane Society.
“We’re incredibly proud of the work our team and partners have done to give these cubs a second chance,” the society’s wildlife operations manager, Autumn Welch, said in a statement. “Releasing them back into their native habitat is the ultimate goal — and a major success story for mountain lion conservation in California.”
During their stay, the cubs received veterinary care from Project Wildlife and specialized rehabilitation to develop essential survival skills, including hunting behaviors and a natural wariness of humans, according to wildlife officials.
The San Diego Humane Society cares for more than 10,000 wild animals each year.
Mountain lions became a protected species in California in 1990. In 2020, certain populations in Southern and Central California were listed as candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
More information about the cubs and other protected species is available at San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife website.
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