Orphaned mountain lion cubs found a home in an AZ sanctuary. Now, they need names
The public is invited to help name and donate to a pair of mountain lion cubs whose dying mother's drive to care for them led to their rescue in eastern Arizona and a new home at a Phoenix-area sanctuary.
Rescuers about three months ago found the then-few-weeks-old male siblings in a den in Alpine after Arizona Game & Fish Department biologists monitoring their mom with a tracking device noticed she had stopped moving, according to Taylor Blackden, Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center marketing and events coordinator.
The mama mountain lion died from injuries she suffered when she was struck by a vehicle, but not before she nearly reached her cubs' den, Blackden said.
A Southwest Wildlife press release said the "courageous" mother's "indomitable maternal instinct compelled her to make a final, determined journey" back home.
Now about 4 months old, the twin cubs are being housed and looked after at the Scottsdale conservation center where they will remain since mountain lion cubs are dependent on their mothers to teach them survival skills, Blackden explained.
The younglings were "transitioned to a spacious indoor enclosure" where they "receive meticulous care, protection from extreme temperatures," read a statement from Southwest Wildlife. "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."
In a statement, the nonprofit's founder and Director Linda Searles said, "We are excited about the journey ahead in helping to raise and rehabilitate the two cubs here at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center.”
With a permanent home, the cubs are in need of names. Southwest Wildlife is holding a vote to not only earn the cubs' monikers but also help raise funds for their continued development.
The name choices are:
Apache and Alpine
Zion and Bryce
Echo and Dash
In order to cast a vote, participants are asked to donate $5, and proceeds will directly contribute to the cubs' care. Voting, which is unlimited, can be done at southwestwildlife.org/donate/name-the-kittens-2023.html through Sept. 9.
"Join Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in preserving the legacy of love and devotion left behind by the mother mountain lion and ensure a bright future for these two new arrivals," read a statement from the sanctuary.
Blackden said the cubs have a lot of expenses, including medical expenses such as vaccinations and food.
"The cost of the meat that they eat adds up quite a bit," she said. "It's really important for us to have the funds to give them the best care possible."
Blackden said that though the cubs are too young to be introduced into the sanctuary's wider enclosure for the public to see them, Southwest Wildlife does regularly hold tours for other animals on their property.
Southwest Wildlife rescues and rehabilitates injured, displaced and orphaned wildlife, and animals who cannot be released back to the wild find sanctuary there. For nearly 30 years, Southwest Wildlife has rehabilitated thousands of animals, with more than 70% successfully released, according to the sanctuary.
According to the sanctuary, its residents have included Bob Barker, a coyote who lost a leg after a car struck him, Scooter, a gray fox who had lost both hind legs, and Heavenly, an orphaned black bear cub.
Just last November, Southwest Wildlife released two black bears found in August 2022 after their mama bear was killed in a vehicular crash. At least five black bears were released back into the wild by Southwest Wildlife last year.
Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona orphaned mountain lion cubs need names. Here's how to vote
