A pair of stranded baby mountain lions were rescued from a dam in Colorado.

The two cubs were trapped in the Vallecito Reservoir's spillway, unable to escape the impending rush of water in Colorado.

Pine River Irrigation District Dam Tender Mike Canterbury said he found them while preparing to release water and called Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) for help.

Footage shows the rescuers lifting the animals off the hydroelectric plant with a pole tied with ropes at both ends. Wildlife Manager Ty Smith dangled it before the young lions, hoping for a chance to lift them to safety.

However, the second lion proved more elusive, darting down the spillway towards the Los Pinos River below the dam.

Refusing to swim, it remained on the brink until Officer Smith descended into the spillway and coaxed it to safety.

The lion eventually reunited with its sibling, scampering off into the wild.