Two adorable mountain lion kittens are rescued from under picnic table in Los Angeles after mother fails to show up for days
- Four mountain lion kittens were spotted outside an office building last month
- Wildlife officials waited for the mom to return, but ended up rescuing the kittens
- They weighed 3.5 to 4.5 pounds and were found ‘alone and thin’ but stable
- Two died at a local vet’s office; the remaining two were sent to a hospital
- Mountain lions are protected but not endangered or threatened in California
Two mountain lion kittens that survived after a litter of four was found under a picnic table in Los Angeles are being cared for at a veterinary hospital.
On November 29, an office worker called wildlife officials after spotting four tiny female cats huddled under a picnic table outside an office building near the foothills of the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks.
The kittens weighed around 3.5 to 4.5 pounds and were ‘alone and thin, but in stable condition,’ according to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Officials told the office worker to leave them alone, hoping that their mother would return soon. The kittens had moved even closer to the building the next day, and they were found next to a recycling bin, visible to workers watching from inside.
Four mountain lion kittens were found under a picnic table in a Los Angeles suburb last month
State wildlife officials left the four kittens in a makeshift den monitored by cameras hoping the mom would return. When she didn’t, they rescued the four kittens and took them to a vet
Biologists with the state’s wildlife agency gave the kittens a checkup and outfitted them with small radio collars.
‘They were still active, moving around, and aware of their surroundings,’ officials said.
The biologists then set the kittens up in a ‘makeshift den’ in a thick brush that was monitored by cameras, still hoping that the mother would return.
‘Biologists say mountain lion mothers may leave their kittens for two to three days to hunt and then return to the den,’ officials said. ‘Although the biologists still did not know the location of the mother, they set out bait a couple of canyons away in case she was having a difficult time finding food.’
Two of the kittens died at the vet. The surviving two were taken to a veterinary hospital
They soon determined the mother either died or abandoned the litter.
By the time they were taken away on December 2, one appeared to be ‘especially in poor health.’
The four kittens were sent to a local veterinarian, where two died overnight. The other two were taken to a veterinary hospital in Orange County.
The animals will be temporarily housed at the Orange County Zoo until a permanent home can be found for them.
‘We did everything we could to reunite these kittens with their mother, but I’m afraid she was likely already dead or had abandoned them,’ said Jeff Sikich, a National Parks Service biologist with Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area who has been studying the mountain population since 2002.
The two kittens will stay at the Orange County Zoo until a permanent home can be found
Mountain lions are a ‘specially protected species’ in California, but they’re not endangered
‘The ideal situation is to keep these kittens wild and in their natural environment. That was the goal, but unfortunately it didn’t work out in this case because the mother was not returning, and the condition of the kittens were deteriorating.’
Mountain lions are legally classified as a ‘specially protected species,’ but they’re not yet listed as threatened or endangered, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The exact number of mountain lions in California is unknown, but previous studies have pinned the range at anywhere between 2,000 to 6,000.
‘Mountain lions can be found wherever deer are present, since deer are a mountain lion’s primary food source in most areas,’ according to the department, which says they can be found across California. ‘As such, foothills and mountains are considered prime mountain lion habitat.’
Their population in California is thought to be generally stable.
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