Cougar was orphaned in car collision in 2020. Now he has the ‘perfect’ California home
Cougar cub Nicholas was crossing a toll road with his mother on Christmas night in 2020 when a car struck them.
His mother was killed at the scene of the crash in Orange County, while Nicholas was severely injured, Lions Tigers & Bears said in a March 3 news release. The collision left him disabled.
After months of reconstructive surgeries, Nicholas eventually found a home at a feline center in Rosamond, Bobbi Brink, the director and founder of Lions Tigers & Bears, told McClatchy News in a phone interview. That home, however, is now filing for bankruptcy and shutting down.
He was the only cat left on the property, and Brink said she got a desperate phone call from the center.
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“Nobody would step up and take him because they don’t consider him to have any conservation value or any money value,” Brink said. “So we took him in.”
Brink said she and her team made the trek to Northern California to bring the 3-year-old cougar to his new home.
Despite winter storms and road closures, Brink said they made it just in time for the property’s closure and brought him to his new home in San Diego.
Currently, Nicholas is in a quarantine area at the sanctuary, as “he’s very, very, very afraid. And very nervous,” according to Brink.
The sanctuary is working to get Nicholas comfortable before conducting any examinations, Brink said.
“We’re just kind of trying to work real slow around him and be real calm, trying to let him get to know his new surroundings and hopefully he’ll get unafraid,” Brink said.
With Nicholas’ disabilities, like his held tilt and neurological problems, a return to the wild is not possible, according to Brink.
“It’s really unclear if he would be able to hunt or survive in the wild with his disabilities,” Brink said.
Eventually, Brink said the sanctuary will be “the perfect place for him.”
“He’ll be spoiled by all the volunteers here and get lots of attention,” Brink said. “He’ll be able to live out his life here with some dignity. He’ll get to enjoy the day and be a cat, play and sleep like cats do.”
The public can visit the sanctuary by booking an appointment, according to Brink. Nicholas, though, will not be seen by the public for at least 60 days.
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Cougar was orphaned in car collision in 2020. Now he has the ‘perfect’ California home."
