Three orphaned mountain lion kittens rescued during the Zogg Fire in Shasta County last month are heading to a new home in Ohio.
SFist reported on the rescue of little six-week-old mountain lion Captain Cal, who was found suffering from burns during the wildfire in early October and taken to the Oakland Zoo to be treated and cared for. Two weeks later, the zoo shared video of Cal being introduced to two female mountain lion kittens who were also abandoned by their mother and rescued in the same area, and who were also being treated by zookeepers in Oakland.
And it was adorable.
Exciting Captain Cal update! Today Captain Cal finally ventured out of his crate (still bandaged heavily but walking)! He walked up to the partition between himself and the other 2 orphaned female mtn lion cubs that were also rescued from the #ZoggFire.https://t.co/yI3ytutEAC pic.twitter.com/NcuT2Rq3In
— Oakland Zoo (@oakzoo) October 14, 2020
Now, the three are a bonded trio, and the Zoo announced on Facebook this week that they are all headed to a new home at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
"The keepers at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium are ready and excited for Captain Cal and the girls!," the zoo writes. "We'll keep everyone posted on their move, and how they're doing after they arrive at their new home."
Captain Cal and the girls — who apparently have not been named — will join an adult female cougar in a recently renovated enclosure at the zoo, which features multiple climbing structures and more. The Columbus team says in a video that they're hoping the adult cougar, Jessie, will teach the young ones some things.