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Arts & Culture

The Oakland Zoo Just Rescued the Cutest Mountain Lion Cub in California

Briar was found alone in El Dorado County and picked up by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Rae Alexandra

A small mountain lion cub sitting on part of a horizontal tree trunk inside an enclosed room.
Oakland Zoo’s newest rescued big cat is Briar, a 4-week-old mountain lion found in El Dorado County. (Oakland Zoo)

Picture it: you’re minding your own business one day, taking a walk with a companion, when you stumble across a beautiful, wide-eyed little kitten. With no mama or sibling cats in sight, you’re faced with a conundrum. Do you leave the kitten all alone to fend for himself in the hope that his family shows back up? Or do you take the kitten home? A lot of us — humans are suckers for sad, furry little faces, after all — would grab the kitten and run to the nearest pet store.

What’s an animal lover to do though, when the kitten is actually a mountain lion cub?

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This was the scenario some good Samaritans in El Dorado County found themselves in last week, when they spotted an adorable 4-week-old mountain lion alone on a quiet road. While more idiotic individuals (me — I’m talking about me) might have attempted to snatch the cat up themselves, these nature-loving humans had the sense to call in the big-hearted pros of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The state agency spent the weekend surveilling the cub and monitoring wildlife cameras to see if they could find his family. By Monday, it was clear that the cub was all on his lonesome. CDFW promptly swept in, rescued the poor little bugger, got him fed and watered, and delivered him safely to the big cat lovers of Oakland Zoo.

This is what landed before the zoo’s veterinary hospital team on Monday:

A mountain lion cub lies on a towel, held by gloved hands.
Briar on his first day at Oakland Zoo. (Oakland Zoo)

I mean…

The cub, who has been named Briar by his carers, is one of the zoo’s youngest mountain lion rescues ever. Because of his smollness — and the fact that cubs usually stay with their mothers for the first two years of their lives — Briar will never have the skills to survive in the wild. As the zoo helps Briar adapt to his new life in captivity, it’s also searching for a new permanent home for the cub. (My house? Anyone? No?)

Briar is the 27th mountain lion the Oakland Zoo has taken in as part of its Bay Area Cougar Action Team (BACAT) alliance, which was formed in 2013. Previous big cat rescues have been necessitated by wildfires, but BACAT emphasizes that human activity is a threat to mountain lions in a plethora of ways, many of which have to do with our encroachment on their habitat.

A tiny mountain lion cub is examined by a woman wearing a mask and stethoscope.
Briar being cared for by Dr. Alex Herman and other Oakland Zoo staff members. (Oakland Zoo)

When it comes to big cats, Oakland Zoo doesn’t only come to the assistance of mountain lions. Earlier this year, staff there helped to rehabilitate Lily, a gravely injured tiger cub who had been raised (appallingly) in a private residence. Once Lily was back on her feet, the zoo found her a new home at PAWS Wildlife Sanctuary, a 2,300-acre park in San Andreas. Here’s hoping Briar’s story will have a similarly happy ending.

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