Why a mountain lion crossing a California highway is a big deal
In what researchers called a “rare case,” a young male mountain lion has successfully crossed the 101 Freeway near Thousand Oaks, California. This is only the fourth documented successful crossing of the freeway since 2002, according to the National Park Service, and it’s key for the big cats roaming around LA to move around, hunt, and spread genetic diversity.
The mountain lion, called P-55, was recently captured and tagged by the NPS in the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains; a GPS allows researchers to follow his movements. The fearless big cat has also crossed Highway 23 and the 118 Freeway, making him a bit of an outlier. When mountain lions stumble across a highway, they usually turn around. This has caused populations of…
