A three-legged cougar named Crimson is thriving in Arkansas

At first, the video seems to feature an empty habitat. There’s a crate filled with hay, platforms of various heights, and a ball hanging from a rope. Then a furry head peaks out from behind the crate. A few seconds later, a large wild cat bounds into view, rushing toward whoever is holding the camera. The young mountain lion (Puma concolor) appears so happy to see the videographer that you almost can’t tell he has only three legs.

Crimson Cougar Cub Plays Peek a Boo

“Crimson was just three weeks old when National Park Service biologists and then California Department of Fish and Wildlife determined he had been abandoned,” Emily McCormack, an animal curator at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in northwest Arkansas, tells Popular Science. “Using GPS collar data from his mother and camera monitoring, it was confirmed that she had moved to a different den site and was no longer returning to care for him.”

As if the situation could get any worse for the young mountain lion, he also had an injury to his hind foot. Without treatment, the injury ultimately could have killed him. He was rescued and transported to the Los Angeles Zoo, where he received acute veterinary care. Then he was taken to Oakland Zoo by Flying Tails animal air ambulance service. The Oakland Zoo veterinary hospital team eventually amputated the injured leg. 

Thankfully, Crimson made an exceptional recovery, but he was too young to be considered for rehabilitation and release. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife decided Crimson would live permanently at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, a safe haven accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. And now it seems safe to say that Crimson has settled well into his forever home. 

“He is thriving in his new habitat at our sanctuary. We chose a long habitat enclosure with relatively flat ground, where he can explore but also has the ability to fully run a good distance,” says McCormack. “Crimson loves his neighbors, especially a female lion named Lucy. He loves his meal times and can be heard chirping all day to the staff, interns, and guests.”

Mountain lions, also known as cougars or pumas, are native to parts of the Americas and represent the world’s most wide-ranging cat species.