National Park Service

Female Mountain Lion Makes “Remarkable” Journey Across 101 Freeway

P-33 is the same big cat recently captured with her mother and sibling in a collection of stunning images

A mountain lion accomplished a rare feat when she crossed the 101 Freeway this month, marking only the second such journey documented in over a decade, park officials said Friday.

P-33, a 16-month-old cat who recently left her mother, headed to the farthest western end of the mountains in the Camarillo area March 9, according to a National Park Service news release.

"The GPS points show that the lions we’re tracking frequently come right up to the edges of the freeway and then turn around,” said Dr. Seth Riley, a wildlife ecologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. "After more than 10 years of seeing the same pattern in our data, it is very cool to see a lion figure out how to cross the freeway and reach other natural areas to the north."

P-33 is the same big cat recently captured with her mother and sibling in a collection of stunning images.

She crossed the Conejo Grade between midnight and 2 a.m. becoming the first mountain lion of over 35 studied to disperse out of the Santa Monica Mountains, according to the release. But the exact path she took remains unclear.

"It's remarkable that this lion made it across the 101 alive," said Linda Parks, Ventura County supervisor and chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, in a statement.

P-33's trip is the second successful crossing documented since 2002 — the year the National Park Service began studying mountain lions, the release stated.

The first lion to cross, P-12, headed the opposite direction. The lion took the trip in 2009, crossing near the Liberty Canyon area, officials said.

Another lion that recently ventured to the Liberty Canyon area in Agoura Hills was struck and killed by a vehicle, the release stated.

"We are fortunate to have vast areas of undeveloped open space for these animals to roam, but we need safe crossing locations for them to keep motorists and animals safe from collisions," Parks said.

A connection between mountain lions in both sides of the 101 Freeway is essential for maintaining long-term genetic health of the population, officials said. The Liberty Canyon area is a proposed wildlife crossing location.

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