Mountain lion on the mend at Ramona Wildlife Center

The young mountain lion is making a promising recovery at the Ramona Wildlife Center after being hit by a car and suffering severe injuries earlier this year Photo courtesy of San Diego Humane Society A young mountain lion is making a promising recovery at the Ramona Wildlife Center after being hit by a car and suffering severe injuries earlier this year the San Diego Humane Society stated Saturday The state Department of Fish and Wildlife brought the male cub to the facility on Jan after he was ascertained on a roadside in Orange County and initially taken to an animal hospital in Lake Forest Officers later took him to the Ramona Center for specialized rehabilitation by an SDHS Project Wildlife gang X-rays revealed a skull fracture along with critical head and eye trauma the SDHS disclosed adding that the cub was experiencing lameness in his left hind leg To advocacy his recovery the association provided intensive healing including pain management nutritional advocacy and around-the-clock monitoring SDHS agents reported With his condition improving SDHS band members placed the cub in an outdoor enclosure where he could safely regain his strength while minimizing human interaction Now after days of expert care the mountain lion is showing signs of readiness to return to the wild the SDHS declared Saturday He is exhibiting natural survival behaviors such as avoiding human presence and successfully hunting for food The animal must gain additional weight and meet essential benchmarks for his long-term survival before being issued the SDHS commented Autumn Nelson operations manager at the Ramona Wildlife Center stated her group will work closely with state wildlife officers to determine the best timing for his return to the wild Our job here is to set him up for success to ensure he can fend for himself and stay away from human conflict Nelson noted The Project Wildlife effort is the primary deposit for wild animal rehabilitation in San Diego County according to the SDHS Administrators say the organization gives more than injured orphaned and sick wild animals a second chance each year At its Ramona Campus the SDHS cares for apex predators and animals such as bears bobcats coyotes eagles hawks and owls The facility will also treat mountain lions under special case-by-case authorization the SDHS revealed City News Function