Two orphaned mountain lion cubs rescued by Colorado Parks and Wildlife last winter were recently released into the wild outside Durango.

CPW spokesman Joe Lewandowski said a cub was spotted back in January hanging around houses in Vallecito, about 25 miles northeast of Durango, in poor condition and apparently without a mother.

“We don’t know what happened to the mom,” he said. “But it was probably a couple months old and was found snooping around for food.”

Wildlife officers captured the cub and transported it to the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation, a licensed rehabilitation facility in Silt.

There, the mountain lion quickly recovered and was moved into an outdoor pen with another orphaned cub.

“They have very little human contact,” Lewandowski said. “They can’t see it’s people giving them food ... so those wild instincts stay with them.”

Now weighing about 60 pounds each, the two mountain lions were released together in a remote area east of Durango.

“They’re healthy, good-sized cats,” Lewandowski said. “Now, they’re on their own.”

jromeo@durangoherald.com