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The community of Portola Valley banded together for the search and rescue of three orphaned mountain lion cubs, after residents reported a dead female mountain lion on Portola Road on Jan. 13, suspected that the lion was a mother. On Sunday, Jan. 26, the cubs were captured by wildlife specialists and taken to the Oakland Zoo for rehabilitation.
The cubs named Fern, Thistle and Spruce, are the 30th mountain lion rescue for the Oakland Zoo. The trio are now recovering under the care of the zoo’s veterinary hospital.
Veterinarians determined that the two male and one female cubs are about 3 months old.
Around Jan. 19, wildlife cameras were set up by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District after a resident reported one cub in the area around Portola Road and Grove Drive. Later in the week, three cubs were spotted on Grove Drive on the evening of Jan. 25 and then by another resident on the morning of Jan. 26, according to Portola Valley resident Joanne K.
The cubs were found hiding under a car, 0.3 miles away from where the dead mountain lion was found, when CDFW and Midpen rangers arrived at the scene.
Hours before their arrival, Joanne made sure that the nearby community was aware of the cubs farther down the street and stood at the end of Grove Drive, asking people to stay clear of the area so as to not scare the cubs. Residents frequently walk their dogs, sometimes off leash in the cul-de-sac, she said.
CDFW have been monitoring the area and have not reported any sightings of an adult female searching or calling for her cubs, according to a press release by the Oakland Zoo. Due to the cubs’ disoriented behavior and lack of a mother for two weeks, CDFW decided to capture them for evaluation.
Young mountain lions may stay with their mother for as long as 26 months to learn necessary survival skills to live in the wild, according to The National Wildlife Federation. Because the rescued trio are still young, they lack the necessary skills to survive on their own.
Zoo veterinarians conducted a thorough health examination and determined that the cubs are healthy but thin.
According to the Oakland Zoo, Fern, Spruce and Thistle will not be staying at its facility. It is currently working with CDFW to find the cubs a forever home at an appropriate institution.
Increased threats to mountain lions
As human developments have increased, so has mountain lion mortality. The protected species is susceptible to death by vehicle strikes, human-caused wildfires, rat poison and permitted killings after accusations of preying on livestock and pets, according to the Center of Biological Diversity.
“As human development has significantly enhanced the wellbeing of our communities, it has simultaneously taken a toll on wildlife and their natural habitats. As we continue to thrive as a species, it is essential for coexistence that we also take action to ensure the survival of others,” said Oakland Zoo CEO Nik Dehejia. “Now more than ever, we must continually advocate for establishing wildlife corridors, such as the recent overpass in Los Angeles, to maintain the biodiversity of our Golden State.”
A 2023 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that mortality risk is influenced by not only the merge of landscapes but also human mindsets.
Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of California, Davis concluded in the study that “mortality risk increased for mountain lions closer to rural development and decreased in areas with higher proportions of citizens voting to support environmental initiatives.”
A mountain lion mortality map by UC Davis also determined that locally, Instate Highway 280, south of San Francisco, is one of the most dangerous areas for mountain lions. It revealed that every week, one or two lions were killed on California roads and highways between 2015 and 2022.
In 2023, a female mountain lion was killed after being struck by a vehicle along Highway 280 near Burlingame. CDFW suspected the dead lion was a mother to two mountain lion cubs, who were found, rescued and transported to the Oakland Zoo in November 2023.
Portola Valley residents are calling for increased signage around Portola Road and Alpine Road, warning drivers to slow down due to wildlife in the area.
“We are considering the best way to address these concerns, as we are a WUI community and want to respect the wildlife that shares our town,” said Mayor Judith Hasko.
Supporting mountain lion conservation
Across California, several organizations are working toward protecting mountain lions. They are: CDFW, Bay Area Puma Project, Mountain Lion Foundation and Bay Area Cougar Action Team.
The BACAT was formed out of the Oakland Zoo and is an alliance between multiple agencies, local parks and researchers that aim to create a support system for mountain lions that can be used within and beyond California.
In Portola Valley, the rescue of the three cubs have already sparked ideas to fundraise for the Oakland Zoo within the community.
To support the Oakland Zoo’s rescue and rehabilitation efforts, donate at oaklandzoo.org/give.
I forwarded your article link to a friend of mine who has decades of experience in local wildcat rescue operations and he wrote:
“Thanks for the link. That may just be the single most well-researched and presented newspaper article about mountain lions and the efforts to preserve them in California that I have ever seen. The inclusion of links to three reputable conservation and research organizations is particularly notable, as almost all other news articles on this subject do not have such.”