Mountain Lion P-74 Likely Died In Woolsey Fire, Officials Say
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A mountain lion who lives in the Santa Monica Mountains is believed to have died in the Woolsey Fire.
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area reported Monday that P-74 is not believed to have survived the wildfire.
P-74 is one of 13 mountain lions who live in and around the Santa Monica Mountains who wear radio collars which are tracked by National Park Service rangers.
"His (P-74) GPS collar has not reported to us since Nov 9, the day the fire moved into the central part of the Santa Monica Mountains," NPS tweeted. "We believe that he had not yet dispersed from his mother who was not radio-collared.
The other 12 mountain lions have been accounted for since the wildfire broke out and are believed to be alive, NPS reports.
RELATED: Park Rangers, Stop Feeding Wildlife In Woolsey Fire Burn Area
The Santa Monica Mountains was devastated by the Woolsey Fire, which broke out Nov. 8 on the eastern edge of Simi Valley. At least 83 percent of all NPS land in the Santa Monica Mountains was scorched by the blaze, according to CAL Fire officials.
The region's freeway network and shrinking habitat has served to isolate the mountain lion population in the Santa Monica Mountains, biologists say, leading to issues such as inbreeding. Eighteen mountain lions have been killed on a freeway or road in the area since 2002, according to the NPS.
Caltrans has proposed building a wildlife bridge across the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills that would allow animals to travel between the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills.
