The discovery of a mountain lion on the edge of Griffith Park this spring sparked excitement and concern among Angelenos concerned about the area’s giant cats.
Will he stay here and succeed the famous Puma P-22 that reigned over the green spaces of central Los Angeles for a decade?
Wildlife officials believe the lion probably went out during the summer and died after being run over by a car, another terrifying guess made by feline fans.
The blonde lion is likely the same cat found dead on Highway 405 near the Getty Center on Independence Day, a National Park Service scientist told the Times. Ta.
The dead lion was found in the northbound, or east, median of the notoriously congested freeway, suggesting it may have come from the east, where the Santa Monica Mountains stretch from the 405 to the east end of Griffith Park. It is said that there is Seth Riley, wildlife bureau chief for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a park division.
“You never know for sure, right? But it was very possible,” Riley said.
“It’s probably the same lion,” said Park Service biologist Jeff Sikich.
For 22 years, the Park Service has studied mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains. Sikic is managing field operations for this project and is considered the area’s lion expert.
Still video of a mountain lion taken from a residential parking lot near Griffith Park on May 14, 2024.
(Vladmir Pormisco)
In this study, vehicle collisions were the leading cause of death for mountain lions. At least 46 lions have been killed in road accidents so far, and the mountain lion found dead on Highway 405 is the second such death on a highway in the region in the past month. It became.
In mid-May, Hollywood Hills resident Vladimir Polmyskov captured video of a lion perched on a low-angled tree stump near the northwest corner of the 4,200-acre park.
Los Angeles did a collective double take. Twelve years ago, I was surprised to find a P-22 crouching in the urban wilderness. Access to the park requires crossing a dangerous highway and is a small area by lion standards.
However, he remained there for 10 years until 2022, when he was captured and euthanized due to injuries and infection.
Now a new mountain lion appeared to be following in his footsteps. The young man was not wearing a collar, so he could not be tracked. But scientists wanted to change that and include him in their ongoing research.
The camera network that was active when P-22 roamed Griffith Park was redeployed and within a week authorities said they captured the same photo of the lion.
Then the road got cold. They never caught him on camera again.
Less than two months later, a lion of the same size and age was found dead on Highway 405.
The lion’s likely death marks the realization of concerns expressed by many considering the urban dangers he faced. The headline of a Times editorial that followed his findings summed it up: “Looks like there’s a new mountain lion in Griffith Park. Let’s not kill him.”
Beth Pratt, California regional director for the National Wildlife Federation, said she cried a little when she learned of the lion’s likely fate. She was worried about his safety from the beginning.
“I thought, ‘Really? Poor guy,'” said Pratt, a vocal defender of Southland lions.
“This just goes to show you how P-22 defied expectations, right?” she said of Lion, who achieved influencer status during his lifetime and beyond. He launched a campaign to save local lions, and P-22 Day is celebrated every year in Los Angeles.
P-22 is presumed to have entered the park by crossing Highways 405 and 101, risking life and limb. But once he moved in and was collared, he wouldn’t leave.
The mountain lion found dead on the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center on July 4th may have been the one seen in Griffith Park several weeks ago, officials said. said.
(KTLA)
Pratt believes a new cat was wandering in and out of the park.
“His luck was about to run out and it’s really sad that it happened,” she said.
Cars are a direct threat to mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains, and highways isolate them from other lion prides.
Local cats are beginning to show signs of inbreeding from a lack of genetic diversity, such as twisted tails. Studies suggest that the species could become locally extinct within 50 years if conditions do not improve.
Some consider the massive wildlife crossing, which looms over Highway 101, to be an important lifeline.
The lion, which lives in its only habitat that bisects the metropolitan area, could be added to the list of other endangered species in the state.
In 2020, the California Fish and Game Commission nominated a family of six lions for protection under the state’s Endangered Species Act and will decide whether to permanently list them next year.
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