At the Oakland Zoo in California, a critically ill mountain lion cub named “Holly” is recovering after having been abandoned by her mother. A resident in the Santa Cruz area found the cub in her backyard on Monday and notified the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Officers waited to see if the mother would return for her cub before they decided to intervene.
Breaking news: cub rescue! Last night California Department of Fish and Wildlife brought a small, weak, emaciated female mountain lion cub to our vet hospital. A homeowner in Santa Cruz noticed the lone cub on her property a few days ago and alerted CDFW. After waiting to see if the cub’s mother would return (she didn’t) and based on the cub’s poor condition, they made the decision to bring the cub to us.
Facebook Oakland Zoo
When the cub arrived at the zoo’s animal hospital, she was moved to intensive care and considered to be “critically ill” condition.
Last night, Dr. Herman and her staff examined the cub. She is estimated to be 3-4 months old and critically ill. We treated her with fluids, vitamins, anti-nausea medication, and anti-parasitics. Our vet staff named her “Holly” in honor of the holidays. We prepared a toasty warm room for her in the hospital ward, where she spent the night.
Today, Holly continues to receive intensive care. Her bloodwork improved slightly, overnight, and she seems a bit brighter today, but she still isn’t standing or moving around too much. From being orphaned in the near-freezing weather, she is still hypothermic despite her new warm environment. We are hopeful she continues to improve but are taking it very much day by day.
Facebook Oakland Zoo
The vet staff remain cautiously optimistic that Holly’s health will keep getting better, however she remains in intensive care treatment and is not out of the woods by any means. She is currently maintaining hydration, blood glucose and temperature levels. She is also eating well, and it is hopeful she will soon be transitioning to oral medications in order to limit her stress.
You can see Holly’s energetic spirit in this footage from our night cam — watch for her moonwalk 
Check out her video: (feisty!)
https://www.facebook.com/OakZoo/videos/846397879909235
Get well soon Holly.
(Photos via Facebook at Oakland Zoo)
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I hope Holly will one day roam free again