A mountain lion who was recently struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing a Southern California freeway has been identified as P-39, wildlife officials confirmed Tuesday.
P-39 died on Dec. 3 east of the Rocky Peak exit near Chatsworth on the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway, but the incident was reported to National Park Service officials days later.
"Navigating our complex road network is a major challenge for mountain lions in this region," Jeff Sikich, a biologist with Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, said in a news release Wednesday.
Researchers suspected the mountain lion killed was P-39 because her GPS collar stopped functioning and she was in the area a few hours before the collision, but her remains were never found and witnesses who saw the animal did not see a collar. But this week, Sikich found the damaged GPS collar in the center divider of the freeway and suggested the collar likely came off because of the impact of the crash.
Wildlife officials have been studying P-39 since April 2015. She is known to have at least two litters of kittens, including three six-month-old kittens P-50, P-51 and P-52.
Since researchers have been tracking her, P-39 had stayed north of the 118 Freeway and had successfully crossed the freeway for the first time a few days ago.
It is unknown whether her kittens were traveling with her at the time of her death. A park ranger says it's unlikely her three 6-month old kittens have the necessary hunting skills to be able to survive on their own.
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This is the 13th known case of a mountain lion killed on the freeway or road in the region since 2002.
