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,

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.

The two neighbors showed up just in time to shoot the cougar after they got a call from the dog owner's husband. The dog did not survive the attack.