Mountain Lion P-23 Struck and Killed by Vehicle in Malibu Area

Mountain lion P-23 was struck and killed by a vehicle along Malibu Canyon Road, officials announced Thursday.

Mountain lion P-23 is seen on a hillside in the Santa Monica Mountains in a photo provided by the National Park Service.

The cougar was found dead “a few days ago,” officials from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area tweeted.

The female mountain lion was about 5-and-a-half years old and is the 18th killed by a vehicle since officials began tracking the animals in 2002, officials said.

P-23 had been tracked since she was a kitten and had given birth to three litters during her tracking.

Officials said she had been the product of inbreeding. Another mountain lion, P-12 was her father and grandfather, and she also mated with him.

We're saddened to report that mountain lion P-23 appears to have been struck and killed by a vehicle on Malibu Canyon Rd. We found her remains a few days ago near the road. She's the 18th mountain lion killed by a vehicle since our study began in 2002. pic.twitter.com/7N6nKL2c2p

— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) February 1, 2018

We've been tracking P-23 since she was just a few weeks old, through her dispersal from mom and the birth of three of her own litters. She was 5.5 years old. pic.twitter.com/GrDEwq2vTn

— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) February 1, 2018

from KTLA http://ift.tt/2rXY965