Announcement: From the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
We are saddened to report that the seven-month-old kitten known as P-52 was recently struck and killed by a vehicle on the 118 Freeway. This young male recently lost his mother, P-39, when she was struck and killed on the same freeway a few miles away on December 3rd. This is the 14th known case of a mountain lion killed on a freeway or road in our study area since 2002. Our partners with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife collected the animal’s remains and will be conducting a necropsy in the next few weeks to determine whether the animal was otherwise healthy.
Although this is a very sad turn of events, I hope that our research can shed insight into the lives of these animals and will inspire future conservation efforts to help wildlife move through the region more safely. -Ranger Kate