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Surveillance Image Reportedly Shows 2nd Mountain Lion Sighting East Of 405 Freeway

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — For what officials say is only the second time in a dozen years, a mountain lion has been reportedly spotted east of the 405 Freeway.

KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports a picture of the mountain lion was captured on a surveillance camera in the Mulholland Drive area near the Beverly Park gated community.

The sighting was first reported on Twitter on Nov. 29 when an image was posted of an apparent mountain lion stalking near Beverly Park at night.

The only other cougar known to cross the 405 Freeway was P-22, who was robustly pictured by National Geographic last year with the Hollywood sign in the background, the Associated Press reported.

While authorities have yet to confirm the sighting, it's possible the animal is a kitten of one of the number of cats the agency has been tracking, according to the National Park Service.

Mountain lions may be rare in the area, but Jim Hardie from the environmental group Tree People says cats are spotted here occasionally further up Mulholland at Coldwater Canyon Park.

"The last confirmed sighting that I know of was about three or four years ago, but they do travel through these hills," said Hardie. "It's kind of fascinating that amongst all these homes, they're still surviving and searching for food and prey."

P-22, also known as Puma 22, was first captured in Griffith Park and outfitted with a GPS collar in March 2012. GPS data indicates he has spent the majority of his time in the most natural areas of the park, according to scientists.

The National Park Service on Thursday released images taken last month by a remotely triggered camera set up at the site of a freshly killed mule deer. More than 1,500 photos were taken as P-22 returned to feed over four nights.

But early this year he was markedly deteriorated when he was captured for a collar battery change. Biologists treated him for mange and poisoning, and then released him.

Since 2002, the National Park Service has been studying mountains lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains to determine how they survive in an increasingly fragmented and urbanized environment.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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