Rescued Mountain Lion Cubs Have Fun Wrestling Match at the Oakland Zoo
There's nothing cuter than baby animals playing together, and many of us could watch videos of them all day long doing just that. In mid-November 2023, two mountain lion cubs were found wandering alone and afraid. They were rescued and taken to the Oakland Zoo in California. Since then, they've called it home, and lucky for us, the Zoo provides updates about the cubs.
ABC News shared a video on Monday, March 11th that showed the two rescued cubs rolling around and wrestling in the grass. They're beyond adorable! The only thing that I wish was different about this video is that it could be longer!
I could watch them play all day! They are so cute, and it looks like they're having a lot of fun play fighting. ABC News commenters agreed that the pair are adorable, and there were lots of heart emojis left as comments. @zacc said simply, "Beautiful!" and I couldn't agree more!
Related: San Diego Zoo Shows What a Mountain Lion Cub ‘Feeding Frenzy’ Looks Like
The Story Behind the Rescued Cubs
Although the cubs are happy now, there lives didn't start out easily. When they were just about 10 weeks old, the two were orphaned. Rescuers believe that their mother was hit by a vehicle, leaving the two wandering around trying to fend for themselves. It didn't take long before the Oakland Zoo took them in, and they were given the names Willow and Maple...super cute names! They've been growing and living their best lives since then.
The Oakland Zoo is one of the nation's best zoos, and they shared a video in December of the little ladies chowing down on a meal. They said that the two were gaining weight as they should be and seemed to be happy and healthy.
Cubs normally stay with their mothers for the first 12-18 months of their lives. Their mothers teach them basic survival skills, like how to hunt prey by stalking, pouncing, and biting them. She teaches them how to protect themselves from predators like bears, wolves, and coyotes. They also learn how to move silently, allowing them to attack without ever being seen or heard.
Since their rescue, zookeepers are working to teach the cubs all that they need to know to become "normal" mountain lions. The zoo's website says, "Whenever possible, rehabilitated mountain lions are released back into the wild -- sadly, a majority of rescued cubs are so young, that without their mothers to teach them essential skills, they wouldn't survive in the wild. In those cases, CDFW chooses "forever homes" at reputable organizations or sanctuaries."
While they'll never have to learn how to hunt for prey, it's an instinct that they'll follow and pretend to do...maybe even with each other. Although the two will never be released back into the wild, they'll still live good lives at the zoo or a sanctuary, definitely somewhere safe.
Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
