Continuing to Lead Wildlife Rescues

A Commitment to Care for Mountain Lions

Before the Bay Area was home to millions of people, mountain lions freely roamed our open landscapes. As humans continue to push into the remaining wild spaces, interactions and conflicts with mountain lions have become common. The Zoo’s Wayne and Gladys Valley Veterinary Hospital is a refuge for the sick or injured cats rescued by our partner, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Within the past four years, our Veterinary Hospital has treated 23 mountain lion cubs. Here’s the story of two very sick cubs we treated in 2022.

In April, when an orphaned mountain lion was spotted in San Mateo County, CDFW brought the Zoo a starving, dehydrated cub suffering from parasites. At a third of her normal weight, Rose was in bad shape. Oakland Zoo’s veterinary team diagnosed, treated, and hand-fed Rose. Despite this help, her red blood cell count was dangerously low. A critical blood transfusion from one of Oakland Zoo’s resident adult mountain lions, Silverado (another mountain lion rescued as a cub), gave Rose the life-saving infusion she needed to recover and flourish.

In June, CDFW brought another mountain lion cub to Oakland Zoo. Sage, a male cub, was also starving and in need of medical care. Note that mother mountain lions do not routinely abandon cubs, but many of these adult wild cats are killed by cars or armed humans who see them as a threat. Sage also survived, thanks to the Zoo’s experienced care. Once the two cubs were stronger, they were introduced, and bonded like siblings. They became an internet sensation. In September, healthy and bonded, Rose and Sage were ready to head to a new home. Their trauma early in life meant they had missed the critical window of learning that they would allow them to survive in the wild. Today, Rose and Sage are healthy residents of Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, California. Like Oakland Zoo, Living Desert meets the strict accreditation standards of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Silverado donates blood to Rose