A mountain lion who successfully recovered after she was attacked and wounded in the wild is adapting well to her new environment, according to an update from the San Diego Humane Society.
She was released back into the wild on Nov. 20 in San Bernardino County, wearing a satellite GPS collar for tracking purposes.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife brought the young female cat to the Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center for treatment on May 30. She had been found in Yucca Valley by a member of the public and was severely emaciated and anemic. She also had soft tissue trauma consistent with an animal attack.
About a month later, the mountain lion was moved to an outside enclosure to continue her recovery. She responded well to antibiotics and pain medications during her stay at the San Diego Humane Society.
“We did not know if this mountain lion was going to make it at first because she was so debilitated,” Autumn Nelson, Wildlife Operations Manager at the Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, said in an update.
“Remarkably, against all odds, she gained the necessary weight and became strong enough to return home, which is the goal for every patient who enters our care.”
The San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program treats thousands of injured, ill, or orphaned wild animals a year as well as educating the public about wildlife care.
The Ramona campus specializes in caring for native apex predators and birds of prey, including hawks, owls, eagles, coyotes, bears, bobcats, and — under special case-by-case authorization — mountain lions.
City News Service contributed to this report.
