Orphaned Cougar Kitten Finds Home

The orphaned mountain lion cub that hunters found on the Snake River has a temporary home at a McCall wildlife sanctuary.

Volunteer Kathy Richmond of the Challis area took the animal to the Snowdon Wildlife Sanctuary, a non-profit rehabilitation center licensed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. They are unsure whether the kitten will live, Richmond said.

“It’s in such a debilitated condition that they’re having to force feed it every two hours,” she said. “It’s very weak.”

The cat was orphaned when poachers killed its mother on the South Fork of the Snake River and cut off her paws. Two littermates died by the time hunters found the starving kitten Nov. 12.

The juvenile accused of cutting off the cougar’s paws has pleaded innocent to illegally killing it. He could go to court next month.