Lion cub rescued in Washington ends up in NM

An orphaned mountain lion cub rescued by a hunter in Washington has found a home in New Mexico.

Zia was discovered last October stumbling through rows of wheat stubble. So dehydrated, she could hardly make a sound and was too weak to stand. Her mother was nowhere to be found.

The hunter, Dave Garnetti of Davenport, Wash., tells the Carlsbad Current-Argus (http://bit.ly/Qg0Rwk) he took her home and his family nursed her back to health before turning her over to the Washington Game and Fish Department.

The Living Desert Zoo in Carlsbad had been looking for a mountain lion when it learned about Zia and another orphaned cub from California. The zoo took in both cubs.

When Garnetti found Zia, she was small enough to fit in a backpack. Zookeepers say she’s now a healthy 30-pound cat.