An injured mountain lion cub was captured by wildlife officers Wednesday after it was seen huddled in the course of a roadway within the Castaic space, most likely after being struck by a automobile, officers stated.
The juvenile mountain lion was taken to a neighborhood veterinarian to be assessed, Cort Klopping, a spokesperson for the California Division of Fish and Wildlife, stated Wednesday afternoon.
“You by no means wish to see any animal, however particularly a juvenile, injured,” Klopping stated. “It’s definitely regarding … and we’re hoping for a superb final result on this.”
The cub was discovered sitting, immobile, in the course of Hillcrest Parkway close to Olympic Road in Castaic simply earlier than 1 a.m. Wednesday, in response to April Elliott, a spokesperson for the California Freeway Patrol, which first responded to the decision concerning the animal.
The juvenile sat there for greater than an hour as troopers waited for wildlife officers to reach, with native broadcasters capturing gripping footage of the cub in the course of the roadway.
The cub finally obtained up and walked off by itself simply after 2 a.m., Elliott stated.
When wildlife officers arrived on the scene, they started looking for the injured cat, finally discovering it in some thick brush, Klopping stated.
The crew was in a position to seize the cub to take it to be examined.
Tiffany Yap, city wildlands science director on the nonprofit conservation group the Heart for Organic Range, referred to as this incident the newest instance of why the area’s mountain lions deserve particular protections below the Endangered Species Act, one thing the state’s Fish and Recreation Fee will contemplate subsequent month.
“It’s harmful and horrifying for mountain lions to navigate our roads and developments, particularly for cubs like this one in Castaic,” Yap wrote in an announcement. “These wide-ranging animals want room to roam they usually want their habitat linked. … Mountain lions like this younger kitten ought to get a correct probability to develop up and reside wholesome lives alongside us.”
