A few weeks ago, a female puma called P-33 successfully crossed the far western end of the mountains near Thousand Oaks and Camarillo in California. Her brother, P-32, has also achieved the same feat, venturing from their den in the Santa Monica Mountains to find a new home.
Having successfully crossed the 101 Freeway and State Route 23, P-32 is the third known mountain lion to do so since experts started studying the area's pumas in 2002. The first one is believed to be their father, P-12.
P-32 and P-33 were first identified in February through a series of photographs. They were shown with their mother, feeding on a carcass and interacting with each other. At the time, the siblings were about 15 months old — too young to leave their mother's side. Then a few weeks later, on March 9, P-33 was believed to have crossed the 101 Freeway.
A few weeks more, and it was P-32's turn to leave home, heading for the Simi Hills.
But while the siblings both crossed the 101 Freeway, their paths diverged at State Route 23. P-33 stopped at this area while P-32 continued on that road, close to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Beth Pratt, the director of California Regional Center, said dangerous freeway crossings are obstacles for mountain lions, preventing them from breeding and hunting. If a crossing at Liberty Canyon is made, it would offer better access to the Santa Susana Pass and Simi Hills, opening up territory for the likes of P-32.
"It is a danger that this population would remain isolated," she added.
Mountain lions are highly territorial and that has led adult males to sometimes kill their own offspring. This danger may have been one reason that P-32 was prompted to leave home. Another reason could be food scarcity, as the area was recently hit by a fire that could have reduced the amount of available prey.
While the mountain lions to have successfully crossed the 101 Freeway are genetically related, scientists are not sure if the pumas could have been born with a gene that makes them especially pioneering. However, scientists did say that some mountain lions have the tendency to be bolder than others.
According to estimates from the National Park Service, the Santa Monica Mountains and the surrounding areas are home to 10 to 15 mountain lions. Since 2002, 40 of them have been tracked.
Photo: National Park Service | Flickr
