AssetID: 56127585
Headline: Three-legged mountain lion thriving in new home after dramatic rescue
Caption: An abandoned mountain lion cub who lost a hind leg after being rescued at just three weeks old has made a remarkable recovery — and is now bounding around his new home. Crimson the cougar can be seen running, playing and exploring his enclosure at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, after surviving a dramatic start to life. The three-week-old mountain lion was discovered alone in California's Santa Monica Mountains in March after researchers noticed that his GPS-collared mother had moved away from her den. Identified as P-131, the cub was only around three weeks old. Wildlife experts monitored the den for several days in the hope his mother, P-129, would return, but by the fifth day Crimson was weakening and had lost around 10 per cent of his body weight. Rescuers also discovered that several toes were missing from one of his hind feet. After emergency treatment at Los Angeles Zoo, Crimson was flown to Oakland Zoo by animal air ambulance Flying Tails, where he needed round-the-clock care and was bottle-fed every three hours. Vets initially hoped to save his damaged leg and spent months trying different treatments, including bandaging and bracing. But as Crimson grew, the injured foot became increasingly difficult to manage and vets decided amputation offered him the best chance of a comfortable life. The operation was a success, and the energetic youngster was soon back on his remaining three legs. Crimson has now moved permanently to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, where staff have given him a long, relatively flat enclosure with plenty of room to run. Animal curator Emily McCormack said: "He is thriving in his new habitat at our sanctuary." She added: "Crimson loves his neighbours, especially a female lion named Lucy. "He loves his meal times and can be heard chirping all day to the staff, interns, and guests." Crimson will never be able to return to the wild because he lost his mother before learning the survival skills normally taught to young mountain lions. But pictures of the three-legged youngster racing around his new home suggest he has adapted remarkably well to his new life.
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