Three mountain lion cubs, believed to have been orphaned after their mother was killed by a car, are currently recovering at the Oakland Zoo in California. Fern, Thistle and Spruce were found by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in Portola Valley in San Mateo County less than half a mile from where a female lion was hit by a car,

Three orphaned mountain lion cubs, Fern, Thistle, and Spruce, rescued in California’s Portola Valley, are being cared for at Oakland Zoo after losing their mother to a car accident. Found malnourished,

The three rescued cubs were relatively healthy but thin after it was determined the mother was absent for about two weeks before their rescue, zoo officials said.

Authorities believe their mother was hit and killed by a vehicle in the Portola Valley area of San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area, zoo officials said. The mountain lion carcass has since vanished, so they can’t confirm her relationship to the cubs through DNA.

Three mountain lion cubs hiding under a car were rescued and taken to Oakland Zoo, where they received treatment. The mountain lion presumed to be their mother was found dead less than half a mile away.

The Oakland Zoo last weekend rescued a trio of orphaned mountain lion cubs out of San Mateo County, according a news release Wednesday.