Mountain Lion Struck and Killed by Car in Southern California
@DeborahDiane (40852)
Laguna Woods, California
December 15, 2016 8:32pm CST
Recently, I wrote about a mountain lion known as P-45 who had killed a number of alpacas and was in danger of being hunted and killed. That did not happen. So far, in fact, nothing has been done to P-45 and he has apparently not attacked any domesticated animals since that one night.
Meanwhile, another mountain lion, known as P-39 (the P stands for puma, which is another name for mountain lions), was hit by a car on the 118 freeway in Southern California. She left behind three six-month-old kittens ... P-50, P-51 and P-52. Authorities are concerned that the kittens will not be able to take care of themselves, although they haven't decided if they are going to try to round them up.
Most of the mountain lions in Southern California have been captured and have a GPS collar attached to them, so authorities know which animal is where at all times.
Sadly, in the past 14 years, 13 mountain lions have been killed in auto accidents.
Above is a photo of P-39 which I found on the Facebook page of the famous Hollywood Puma ... P-22. Yes, one of our local mountain lions has his own Facebook page! As you can tell, our California mountain lions are beloved and are rarely disturbed.
13 people like this
14 responses
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
16 Dec 16
It is a sad story and most people have no problem with them.
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
16 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane Yeah she is famous. I like when they make animals famous, it keeps people aware.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@crossbones27 - I agree! When they make animals famous, it seems that people try harder not to kill them.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
17 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane The good ones anyway. lol
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Dec 16
That is sad to hear. We have occupied so many territories that belonged to wildlife. I wonder how long species like the mountain lion and wolf will survive.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane It really is. Oregon has at least three packs, maybe four.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic - I'm glad to hear there are still some wolf packs in Oregon. So many animals are disappearing from the face of the earth ... and they say the rate of extinction is increasing.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic - When we were on a trip to Alaska 10 years ago, we learned there were only two groups of wolves in the forest around Mt. Denali ... and the dominant male in one of the packs was killed while we were there. They were very concerned about the well-being of the remainder of that pack. Yes, a lot of our wildlife could go extinct over the next few decades, and that is very sad.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502950)
• Italy
17 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane I know, on a freeway (that here are ALL toll roads) it's hard to stop, but people drive like crazy even on the secondary roads.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502950)
• Italy
18 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane We are near the border and I have to say that the bad drivers are the Italians. If they got you using the cell phone while driving you lose your driver license here and if you cause an accident the insurance does not pay you.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@LadyDuck - That sounds like California ... people drive like crazy, whether they are on a toll road or a secondary road. And, some of them are looking at their cell phones while they do that! No wonder so many people die on the highways.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
17 Dec 16
how sad that she lost her life 'n left those youngsters 'hind. too many folks've encroached'n their native grounds - which's occurred 'cross the globe when 't comes to humans. greedy bunch....
i'm glad though that'cher puma's 're beloved. 'round these parts they're hunted 'n killed. one'f the hubs relatives wrote a book 'f such - one that he not only wrote but t'was proud to tell how him'n others killed 'em 'long with bears 'n other predators. the most horrific thingy bein' the photos 'f such :(
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@crazyhorseladycx - That book would have made me sad, too. My husband used to be a hunter when he was a young man, but gave it up about 25 years ago ... and I'm glad he did. Did you know that many species of animals are expected to be extinct within 5 years? Isn't that sad? No one seems to be stepping up to stop it, either. I read a very sad article about it on CNN.com
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
18 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane greed 'n selfishness, ms. d-d. that'd be what fuels most'f 't, jest's fer many, many years. the hubs here goes huntin', jest ne'er shoots anythin'. i told him i dunno why he jest don't go campin' coz such'd be way cheaper (no license). he jest rolls his eyes.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
19 Dec 16
@crazyhorseladycx - I think it is more macho for guys to say they are hunting than to say they are camping. However, I'm glad he never shoots anything. I agree that greed and selfishness are the causes of much of the evil that is happening in the U.S., and the rest of the world, right now.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128859)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Dec 16
So sad to hear about P-39. I do hope the kittens are rescued or cared for somehow, it would really suck to lose three more mountain lions as a result of the one car accident.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128859)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane Thanks! I would really like to know the fate of those kittens!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@moffittjc - I am surprised that they have not tried to locate and pick up the kittens, since they must know approximately where they are. However, they may not have put a transmitter on them, yet, since they are not full-grown. As a result, they could be hard to find. I'll let people know if I hear anything about them.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@DianneN - I agree that it is sad to hear that so many have been killed in auto accidents. When you consider that we are only up to P-52 (the number of P-39's most recent pup), then losing 13 pumas is a substantial percentage of them!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@DianneN - Yes, it saddens me when wild animals die needlessly or accidentally ... especially when there are so few animals left in certain species. I read a CNN article today about the mass extinction that is coming quickly, within a few years. It is horrifying!
1 person likes this
@DianneN (254926)
• United States
17 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane Any poor creature that is killed saddens me, especially those that are few and far between.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@Jackalyn - You could be right that the mountain lions do not think of a car as a threat .. until it is too late.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
18 Dec 16
It is sad that people have encroached on so much of the land that the mountain lions need to survive. Man has a way to doing that everywhere.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Dec 16
@JudyEv - Yes, I'm glad that P-45 has been behaving itself so far. It does make me sad that around one mountain lion a year is dying on our Southern California freeways ... but I know how hard it can be to stop when an animal gets on one of our super highways.
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
18 Dec 16
Well, as they continue to build into the wilderness, I guess these things will happen. Beautiful animal to be struck down so senselessly though!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
18 Dec 16
@Marymargll - Yes, I am sure these things will continue to happen. They are beautiful animals and relatively rare ... since we have lost 13 of only 52 mountain lions known to live here in Southern California.
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
16 Dec 16
On the 118!?! I have traveled the 118 a zillion times. Must have happened out by Simi where there are hills and rocks, sort of an unpopulated buffer zone between Simi and the valley.
1 person likes this
