Dying mountain lion’s last act may have saved her cubs in Arizona. Now they need names
.jpg "Baby mountain lions were orphaned when their mother was hit by a car, but she was determined to crawl back to them despite her injuries. Her heroic act likely saved their lives by leading biologists to her location via her tracking collar. Now the cubs need names.")
A mother mountain lion was hit by a car in Arizona and wasn’t going to survive — but she was determined to crawl back to her weeks-old cubs before she died.
She only just made it and died just as she reached their den. But her “heroic” last act likely saved the defenseless cubs’ lives, officials with the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center said in a news release.
Biologists with the Arizona Game & Fish Department noticed her tracking collar had stopped moving, and they followed her body’s location to her den and found her kittens inside, officials said.
Animal caretakers at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center took them in and have been caring for the cubs — who are about four months old now — ever since.
They now live indoors, protected from Arizona’s extreme heat, and caretakers are sure to provide them with opportunities for healthy development.
Mountain lions stay with their mothers for about 18 months in the wild, during which she teaches them crucial survival skills, such as hunting, staying away from people, and caring for themselves, officials said. Because they were orphaned, they won’t learn those skills and will need to live out the rest of their lives in human care.
“While they may never experience the nurturing of their mother in the wild, they have found a loving sanctuary environment that will be their forever home,” officials said in the release.
Now they just need names. The sanctuary is inviting the public to join in on the cubs’ “inspiring journey of rescue, resilience, and community” by voting between three sets of names: Alpine and Apache, Bryce and Zion, or Echo and Dash.
Those who want to vote in the contest must donate a minimum of $5, and participants can donate more money to cast more votes.
The contest started Aug. 26 and runs through Saturday, Sept. 9. The sanctuary will reveal the winning names on social media and in its weekly online newsletter.
“Although their arrival story is heartbreaking, we are so happy to have them with us safe & sound,” officials said on Instagram. “We can’t wait to share them with you as they grow and develop into healthy, happy (big!!) mountain lions!”
This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Dying mountain lion’s last act may have saved her cubs in Arizona. Now they need names."
