News Release
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NPS / Cody Bishop
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Contact: Ana Beatriz Cholo
P-104, a subadult male mountain lion, was hit and killed by a vehicle going northbound on the 33100 block of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) at around 7 a.m. today. He was the most recent mountain lion to be captured as part of a 20-year study that is tracking mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains to determine how they survive in a fragmented and urbanized environment.
Biologists say the young mountain lion, captured and fitted with a GPS radio collar just two weeks ago in the western portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, had crossed PCH several times in the last few days. Although it has occurred before, it is relatively rare that collared mountain lions have crossed PCH.
P-104 is the 25th mountain lion, and 8th collared study cat, to be killed by a vehicle since the mountain lion study began in 2002. He is the first mountain lion that we've documented being hit and killed by a car on PCH.
At the time of capture on March 8, he weighed 103 lbs.
Currently, we are tracking 13 mountain lions in the region.
NPS has been studying mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains for the last two decades to determine how they survive in a fragmented and urbanized environment. CDFW is responsible for overseeing the management and conservation of mountain lions in the state.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.
Last updated: February 6, 2023