Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Environment

Wounded mountain lion returns to wild, natural habitat

A young female mountain lion returns to the wild in San Bernardino County after spending nearly six months at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, Nov. 20, 2024.
San Diego Humane Society
A young female mountain lion returns to the wild in San Bernardino County after spending nearly six months at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, Nov. 20, 2024.

A mountain lion that was attacked and wounded in the wild is adapting to its new environment Monday, according to a report from the San Diego Humane Society.

The female mountain lion was sent to the humane society's Ramona Wildlife Center for treatment and released by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Nov. 20 in San Bernardino County. A satellite GPS monitor was placed on the mountain lion for tracking and to help ensure her health and well- being.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife brought the mountain lion to the San Diego Humane Society on May 30. She was found in Yucca Valley and was severely emaciated, anemic and had soft tissue trauma consistent with an animal attack.

Advertisement

About a month later, the mountain lion was moved to an outside enclosure to continue her recovery. She responded well to antibiotics and pain medications during her stay at the San Diego Humane Society.

"We did not know if this mountain lion was going to make it at first because she was so debilitated," Autumn Nelson, Wildlife Operations Manager at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center, said. "Remarkably, against all odds, she gained the necessary weight and became strong enough to return home, which is the goal for every patient who enters our care."