COLORADO SPRINGS — A mountain lion has been rehabilitated and released back into the wild after it was rescued from a Colorado home late last year. Walsenburg residents said they found the 3-month-old kitten and took it inside to “thaw out.” The kitten then grew ill after it was fed bratwurst, and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer had to rescue the feline.

The kitten was fed the food when it was not yet weaned from its mother’s milk, CPW said.

“If you find wildlife you believe to be orphaned, leave the area immediately and call CPW,” said Travis Sauder, a CPW district wildlife manager. “By leaving the area, mom will feel safe to come back and retrieve her young.

“Many animals intentionally leave their young behind when startled, relying on the built-in camouflage of the youngsters’ spotted fur to keep them safe. The mother will then return to retrieve its young once the area is safe.”

The people who took the kitten in said they found it in a snowbank after a snowplow passed by. The residents then put it in a cage indoors.

“Wild animals do not need to ‘thaw out’ because they are equipped by nature to survive cold and snow,” Sauder said. “When we do have orphaned wildlife, it’s important we get them to licensed rehabilitators who specialize in raising these wild animals, who know what to feed them and how to care for them so we can successfully release them back into the wild once they mature.”

The mountain lion was kept too long to be returned to the area and reunited with its mother, and was instead sent to the nonprofit Wet Mountain WIldlife Rehabilitation in Wetmore.

The feline was released into the wild Saturday after spending several months at the Wetmore center.

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