Wildlife officials seize mountain lion kitten fed bratwurst

WALSENBURG, Colo. – Wildlife officials who seized a mountain lion kitten from a southern Colorado home say the feline fell ill after the residents fed it bratwurst.

Travis Sauder with Colorado Parks and Wildlife says the kitten appeared to be in good health otherwise and was sent to a wildlife rehabilitation centre Tuesday.

The Walsenburg residents posted photos on social media Monday showing the kitten in a cage and describing how they found it in a snowbank after a snowplow passed by. They also said they were allowing it to “thaw out.”

Sauder says residents should leave wildlife alone and that mountain lions can handle cold weather.

The kitten, which is only a few months old, was kept too long to be returned to the area to be reunited with its mother.