Rescue of two mountain lions trapped in a spillway (5 photos + 1 video)

Two one-year-old mountain lions were rescued in Colorado. The furry brother and sister were spotted by a Vallecito Dam worker as he was about to open the floodgates to release water.





Mike Canterbury initially thought the animals were coyotes, but upon closer inspection he saw "a couple of cute kitties" trapped behind high concrete walls.



"I'm glad I noticed them," Canterbury said. "That little area could quickly turn into a raging pool."

The man called Wildlife Services.

“The release of water would most likely kill the lions,” zoologists commented.





Wildlife Warden Ty Smith arrived to help, but the rescue operation turned out to be more difficult than expected. We had to find a way to transport the unruly animals over the tall walls of the spillway.

Smith first made ramps, but the lions couldn't climb. Then he built a structure from rope and PVC pipe. The lion cub grabbed it and was free.



In dramatic footage, Smith sits on the edge of a high wall and pulls one of the lions up with a rope. The feline immediately rushed into the forest, but the young lioness was so scared that she ran down the canal. The specialist went down to her and brought her out using a trapping noose.



The lioness hid under the car for several minutes, and then ran away in the same direction as her brother.