Nature

Starving Young Mountain Lion Found Up Tree After Roaming California Complex For Days

A malnourished young mountain lion that was roaming around a complex for several days has been captured by the Californian authorities after it was found hiding up a tree.

The police in the city of Palm Springs in the US state of California made a statement detailing the unusual rescue mission on 18th October.

The mountain lion (disambiguation), otherwise known as a ‘Cougar’, is a large cat native to the Americas.

The Palm Springs Police Department captured a malnourished mountain lion in the Sunrise Palms Condominium Community in Palm Springs, California, USA on 18th October 2021. (@PalmSpringsPD/Newsflash)

A fully grown male cougar can reach a length of 2.4 metres (7.1 feet), making it the fourth-largest big cat in the world.

According to the statement, the cougar made its way into the condo complex and climbed a tree, prompting concerned residents to call the emergency services.

Officers from the Palm Springs Police Department and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) were able to track the cougar in the Sunrise Palms Condominium Community.

The Palm Springs Police Department captured a malnourished mountain lion in the Sunrise Palms Condominium Community in Palm Springs, California, USA on 18th October 2021. (@PalmSpringsPD/Newsflash)

They found the big cat up a tree looking severely malnourished after spending days wandering around the complex without anything to hunt.

The cougar was tranquillised by CDFW officials and checked by a remote vet while it was under.

The vet determined that the female cougar was malnourished and in urgent need of treatment so it was transferred to the wildlife rehabilitation facility in San Diego County.

The Palm Springs Police Department captured a malnourished mountain lion in the Sunrise Palms Condominium Community in Palm Springs, California, USA on 18th October 2021. (@PalmSpringsPD/Newsflash)

Kyle Chang, Fish and Wildlife lieutenant supervisor, told KESQ-TV: “I think that it came down here probably hunting because it’s a juvenile smaller cat. It might have gotten kicked out of its territory and it’s looking for its own territory.”

The cougar is expected to be released back into the wild once it has fully recovered.

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