Denise M. Peterson is the founder of the Utah Mountain Lion Conservation. She had recently observed a female and male mountain lion spending time together in the area while she was monitoring the trail cameras in the Utah Wilderness. Denise could not help being hopeful about seeing a baby mountain lion in the future and was waiting months for this occasion.
Finally, her dreams came true and one day while she was examining the footage, she came across three baby mountain lions making their way through the snow alongside their mother. “I was over-the-moon-excited!” expressed Denise. The human decided to share this good news with the rest of the world and posted a video of the mountain lion family on Facebook.
Denise’s caption on Facebook read, “Yesterday’s camera check came with a delightful surprise.” According to estimations of The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, there are around 2,500 mountain lions living in Utah. Yet, it is hard to pinpoint an exact number because these creatures are known for being elusive. Denise also expressed that there was a lot of hunting taking place in the region, thereby leading to a decline in the mountain lion population.
It is rather rare to encounter three healthy mountain lion babies since the kitten survival rate is low. “It was truly a gift,” conveyed Denise. The offspring will stick to their mother’s side for about 18 months to 2 years. It is during this time period that the mother teaches her babies valuable skills such as hunting, catching, prey selection, stalking, and which areas to avoid.
The Mountain Lion Foundation has informed that these animals are ecological engineers since their behavior plays a major role in keeping the larger ecosystem functioning, which in due course assists in fighting climate change.
The video footage depicts the baby mountain lions following their mother obediently wherever she goes. It is clear that the kittens understand the significance of sticking together in order to ensure their survival. We hope that these babies get the opportunity to grow up into majestic mountain lions and that their numbers will increase in the future.
