A 3-year-old mountain lion, the mother of two cubs, was struck and killed by a vehicle on State Route 74 in Orange County, according to the UC Davis California Carnivores Program.
The two cubs, one male and one female, are 14 months old — essentially adolescents in the mountain lion life cycle. They were still being looked after by their shy, small mother, dubbed F390, at the time of her death on Sept. 4. The cubs would likely have stayed with her for a few more months, learning how to hunt and navigate, before going on to live independently, according to Fernando Nájera, director of the program.
“It’s a critical time in their lives,” Nájera said. “They have a lot to learn in a short period of time and now they are doing it without a mama.”
Nájera and his team successfully collared F390’s female cub on the evening of Sept. 20, outfitting her with the same kind of GPS tracking device they put on her mother so they can follow her movements and see how she fares in the wake of losing her mom. The cub’s ID number is F436.
“This will allow us to see how she’s doing and let us know if we have to put any measures in place to facilitate her survival,” he said.
Nájera said traffic is the primary threat to Southern California mountain lions, whose habitat has been fragmented and bisected by roads and highways. An estimated 100 mountain lions are killed by cars and trucks each year, according to the 2024 Roadkill Report conducted by scientists at UC Davis.
The California Carnivores Program was founded in 2001 to focus on Southern California mountain lion conservation, but has since expanded to include other carnivore species. As part of its work, the organization puts GPS devices on mountain lions to track their movements across the state. The research is used in part to inform highway planners and conservation organizations on how to prevent vehicular deaths like the one that befell F390. The organization is currently tracking five individuals — one male and four females, including F436.
F390 had successfully crossed Highway 74 several times before her death. Nájera said her loss demonstrates the necessity of creating safe crossings for wildlife in California.
Known variously as the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway, the Pines to Palms Highway and the Ortega Highway, State Route 74 runs from San Juan Capistrano in Orange County to Palm Desert in Riverside County.
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