The San Diego Humane Society has returned an injured female mountain lion back to the wild after a nearly six-month recovery from injuries it sustained in an apparent animal attack earlier this year.
The mountain lion was found hungry, anemic and with soft tissue trauma in the Yucca Valley on May 30, Nina Thompson, a spokesperson for the organization, said Monday.
The wounds on the animal’s body were consistent with an animal attack, due to her low body weight making her potentially unable to fully fend off her assailants, Thompson said.
The cougar was taken to the Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, which specializes in helping large predators and animals return to the wild after they recover. Thompson said the mountain lion was given pain medication and antibiotics, and treated for her wounds.
While her wounds healed, she was moved to an outdoor enclosure that closely resembled the cougar’s natural habitat in June, and cameras were used by the center’s care team to monitor the mountain lion and limit human contact, Thompson said.
“We did not know if this mountain lion was going to make it at first because she was so debilitated,” said Autumn Nelson, operations manager at the wildlife center. “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.”
Officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife released the mountain lion back into the wild on Nov. 20 in San Bernardino County equipped with a satellite GPS collar for tracking, officials said.
This is the third young mountain lion the center has returned to the wild this year. The most recent one was a 3-month-old cub that was struck by a vehicle in Simi Valley late last year. The cub was dehydrated, malnourished and had a broken leg.
The cat was treated and then released back into the wild in June.
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