Four new mountain lion kittens are prowling in a rocky area of the western Santa Monica Mountains, the National Park Service announced.
The new litter, all female, is believed to have been born in late July.
Known to researchers as P-109, P-110, P-111 and P-112, the new kittens were tagged and will be part of an ongoing 20-year-old study into how the big cats’ lives intertwine with the urban environment.
According to the National Park Service, the four cats each weighed about 4 pounds and appeared to be healthy.
To tag the four mountain lions on Aug. 24, a biologist used radio signals to track the mother and make sure she had left the den area. Colleagues then took the kittens a short distance away and did a workup — which involves a physical exam, where body measurements are recorded, and attaching an ear tag — before the mother returned.
“Biologists remain in constant radio contact with each other,” the National Park Service said in a statement. “Hence, there is little chance that they will encounter the mountain lion mother.”
Researchers also added two more adult mountain lions to the study, a pair captured in the Santa Susana Mountains. The cats, P-105 and P-106, are believed to be about 4 and 6 years old, respectively.
This comes after the disturbing news that LA most famous Mountain Lion, P-22, a denizen of Griffith Park for years and a celebrity in his own right is suspected of killing a pet dog and coming much too close to humans lately:
The most well-known of the local mountain lions, P-22, was captured Monday by the National Park Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after officials said he had recently been “exhibiting some signs of distress.”
Apparently he was hit by a car and is getting old and unhealthy. He won’t be going back to Griffith Park and we don’t know if he will be euthanized or given to a wildlife sanctuary. I hope he can live out his life in peace somewhere. He lived a lonely life in the park all by himself.
He is a beautiful boy:
LA finally broke ground on the wildlife land bridge so cats like P22 don’t have to cross highways to find their way to the mountains and live in the real wild. It will look like this when it’s done:
If you’d like to throw a little something in the old Hullabaloo stocking, it would be most appreciated. Happy Hollandaise everyone!