Mountain Lion Found Dead In Point Mugu State Park

THOUSAND OAKS (AP) — The National Park Service says hikers found a year-old mountain lion dead during a weekend trek through the Santa Monica Mountains.

The park service said Wednesday the lion found Sunday in Point Mugu State Park has been identified as Puma-25, an animal that recently lost a GPS tracking collar that was placed on her in August.

Biologists with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area have been tracking lions to study how they survive in an urbanized landscape.

Urban wildlife expert Seth Riley says lions in the mountain range face survival challenges including conflicts with other lions over territory, road hazards, rodenticide poisoning and sometimes disease.

Puma-25 did not appear to have died from conflict with another lion and results from necropsy won't be available for a few weeks.

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