LOS ANGELES — An adult mountain lion that was struck and killed by a car in June was pregnant with four kittens at the time, and all five animals tested positive for rat poison — the first time officials have been able to test cougar fetuses, the National Park Service said Wednesday.
The 5-year-old mountain lion, designated P-54, was killed in the Santa Monica Mountains on June 17. She was struck around 9:30 a.m. on Las Virgenes Road between Piuma Road and Mulholland Highway, not far from where her mother was struck and killed by a vehicle in 2018.
At the time, P-54 was the 29th mountain lion killed by a vehicle since 2002 in the park service's cougar study area — which includes the Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Hills, Griffith Park and the Santa Susana and Verdugo mountains — including 10 lions that had been collared and tracked by parks officials.
