The Living Desert, a Palm Desert zoo, is celebrating the arrival of two rescue mountain lions transferred from the Oakland Zoo.
The two mountain lions, named Rose and Sage, were rescued separately as unrelated, orphaned cubs, and became a companion (non-breeding) pair during their rehabilitation. Because they were orphaned at such a young age, Rose and Sage will not be able to be released back into the wild and will instead have their "fur-ever" home at The Living Desert.
“We are so excited to welcome Rose and Sage to The Living Desert," RoxAnna Breitigan, The Living Desert's director of animal care, said recently on Facebook. "These cats have such an amazing story, and we are honored to be part of their next chapter."
She also commended Oakland Zoo for its successful rehab efforts.
"We are so proud of our colleagues at the Oakland Zoo for the exemplary care and dedication to the well-being of these amazing animals,” she said.
Heather Down, Animal Curator at The Living Desert, said Rose and Sage would be remaining "behind-the-scenes" for roughly a week so that they can acclimate to their new environment and so the animal care team can build a relationship with them.
In a separate post last week, The Living Desert gave a history of the new arrivals. Rose was first found by hikers in the Thornewood Open Space Preserve in San Mateo, California, in April 2022. She was retrieved by California Department of Fish and Wildlife and other officials and brought to Oakland Zoo emaciated and malnourished, according to The Living Desert. After critical veterinary care, Rose is now a healthy mountain lion cub estimated to be about 9 to 10 months old.
A few months after Rose's discovery, Sage was found in a classroom at Pescadero High School in Northern California and brought to the Oakland Zoo by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. When he arrived in June of 2022, Sage was also malnourished, requiring medical care from the Oakland Zoo team. The zoo estimates his age at 9 to 11 months.
The Living Desert plans to keep these buddies together and introduce them into the mountain lion habitat in Eagle Canyon when they are settled in, the Facebook report said.
The Living Desert is also home to an 18-year-old mountain lion named Salem, who is one of the oldest mountain lions in human care. Because of the age gap and differing energy levels between Salem and the new arrivals, The Living Desert has no current plans to introduce the three. Sage and Rose also have different care needs than Salem, according to The Living Desert.
Once the newcomers are introduced to the mountain lion habitat, guests will either see Rose and Sage or they will see Salem.