Three six-week-old orphaned mountain cubs, complete with camouflaging spots and resembling small cats, were transported Tuesday to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
The two sisters and a brother were found in a den last week in Washington after their mom was killed in a “human-wildlife conflict” that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to, according to a news release from the zoo. The cubs would not survive on their own.
“We’re excited to provide a home for these young, playful cubs,” said Rebecca Zwicker, senior lead keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild where the cubs will live, in a news release. “Of course, these situations are bittersweet. We wish we didn’t have to find homes for orphaned cubs, but we’re grateful for our partnerships …. because we can offer the cubs an amazing life of choices, care, and compassion.”
The trio are the second litter of orphaned mountain lion cubs taken in by the zoo — the first came from Wyoming in 2006, officials said.
The cubs will be introduced to the remaining cub of the Wyoming litter, Kaya. She’s blind and aging, zoo officials said, so they’ll take their time with introductions.
Until then, the cubs will remain in quarantine to ensure they are healthy until they are added to the Rocky Mountain Wild. Visitors can see the guests in a few weeks.
“Mountain lions are part of our daily lives in Colorado,” Zwicker said. “These cubs will be ambassadors for their wild relatives, helping our guests learn about their species, their unique personalities and behaviors, their contributions to our ecosystem, and how we can live peacefully with them.”
