After Being Found Starving And Severely Dehydrated, 14-Week-Old Mountain Lion Cub Doubles Her Weight And Is Now Thriving

Here's a piece of uplifting content that we all could use right now. This adorable little cutie that you can see in the photos and the video below is an orphaned 14-week-old mountain lion cub that was discovered by firefighters back in September. The cub was found in Southern California near Idyllwild. Unfortunately, she was in an extremely terrible condition: the cub was starving, severely dehydrated, and weighed less than 11 pounds.

But don't worry—this story has a happy ending. And it's all thanks to the kind firefighters and the San Diego Humane Society who decided to take the little cub in. After five weeks of specialized care in the shelter, the little mountain lion is healthy and thriving.

"The cub was spotted by firefighters from the Vista Grande Fire Station near a road in Idyllwild on Sept. 2. She was semiconscious, extremely emaciated, dehydrated, weak, and had tremors. The firefighters contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who reached out to San Diego Humane Society," Nina Thompson, the director of public relations at the San Diego Humane Society told Bored Panda.

"San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife team went to work providing lifesaving treatment for the 10.5-pound cub, estimated to be only 14 weeks old," Nina Thompson told us. "She received daily fluid therapy and medications. Within a couple of weeks, she progressed from five to three small, nutritious meals per day. They include ground proteins with milk replacer, to allow her body a slow transition to solid foods. We are happy to report, she has more than doubled in weight to 22 pounds!"

When asked how is the little lion currently doing, Nina Thompson told us this: "She is doing great! With each passing day, she becomes more active and responsive and, though she still has some medical issues to overcome from being in such a fragile state, we are delighted she has responded well to our treatment and are hopeful she will make a full recovery."

"The mountain lion cub is getting feistier each day. If you get too close, she hisses. Because she is a wild animal our staff tries to minimize handling aside from feedings and medical attention. At the Ramona Wildlife Center one of the most challenging aspects is keeping the orphaned patients wild.  Especially for predatory species, it is very important to follow protocols that will discourage imprinting and keep the animal wild and fearful of humans in order to be a successful release candidate. In this particular case, the mountain lion will not be released into the wild because she does not have the skills to fend for herself in nature," Nina added.

When the lion gets fully recovered, she will be heading to her forever home at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. "There she will live with other mountain lion cubs her age. Mountain lions typically stay with their mother until they disperse to live a solitary life at around 12-18 months of age. Because it is not safe to return a young mountain lion to the wild if found injured or orphaned as a kitten, Project Wildlife has been working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to monitor her progress and when stabilized, to ensure she has a good permanent home at a qualified facility​," Nina Thompson told Bored Panda.

"San Diego Humane Society, an open-admission shelter, is creating a more humane world by inspiring compassion and advancing the welfare of animals and people. Our lifesaving safety net has helped San Diego become the largest city in the U.S. to keep healthy and treatable animals from being euthanized," Nina told us. "We are a private, independent, nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with any other humane society or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals."

"With campuses in El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside, Ramona and San Diego, we provide animal services for 14 cities within San Diego County. We not only care for 50,000 animals in our communities but also share the expertise we have gained through our innovative programs with shelters nationwide so they can save more lives in their communities. While our influence is expanding nationally, our top priority is meeting the needs of San Diego. We provide exceptional care for all animals, including wildlife, through world-class veterinary medicine, shelter and most of all: love," Nina added.