Mountain Lions - Rescued Cubs Grown Up

A stop on Oakland Zoo: Savanna to California Trail, a free self-guided tour.

Mountain lions still live in the hills all around the Bay Area, yet few people ever see one. The cats here are rescues: when the trail opened, its mountain lions were cubs found orphaned and in very poor health by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Cubs that lose their mothers young never learn to hunt, so they cannot be returned to the wild.

The zoo works with the state to care for orphaned and injured mountain lions, returning some to the wild and finding permanent homes for those that cannot go back.

Mountain lions are also called cougars, pumas and panthers, and they hunt alone, mostly at dawn and dusk. Check high rocks and shady corners; a resting lion can be very hard to spot.

Getting here: Continue past the black bear habitat and the playground to the mountain lion viewing area.

Did you know?: A mountain lion can leap about 15 feet straight up and around 40 feet in a single bound.

Photo op: Scan the high rocks first; a lion stretched out along a ledge is the best shot.

For kids: Mountain lions purr instead of roar. Can you purr like a big cat?

Nearby: The California Wilds! Playground and a water station are close by; restrooms are back near the pavilion.

More on Wikipedia: Cougar · California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Mountain Lions - Rescued Cubs Grown Up

Stops on this tour