An orphaned mountain lion kitten, found near Sells, has been taken to Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center in Phoenix for care and rehabilitation.
The female kitten, about 6 months old, weighed only 13 pounds and should be closer to 30 pounds, said Anne Justice-Allen, a wildlife veterinarian with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
โIt was found near Sells on the Tohono Oโodham nation. It had been treed by dogs, and its litter mate was on the ground dead,โ Justice-Allen said. โWe have no idea what happened to its mother. We suspect sheโs probably dead, but we donโt know for sure.โ
She said a staff member from the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center went to Sells to pick up the animal on Wednesday, March 30.
โMountain lion cubs arenโt something we normally keep there (at the center),โ Justice-Allen said. โIt primarily houses animals for educational purposes.
โIf we get cubs, we try to place them in a suitable facilityโ such as a zoo or sanctuary, she said. โItโs unlikely that weโll be able to release this animal into the wild because they get habituated to people.โ
