Researchers monitoring mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains say one of them has accomplished an unusual, but dangerous feat. For the first time in nearly two decades of research, a mountain lion with a GPS collar crossed the 405 Freeway.
The male mountain lion know as P-61 crossed the 405 in the Sepulveda Pass, between Sherman Oaks and Westwood early on the morning of July 19th. Two other mountain lions have died trying to cross the freeway in the same general area.
The region’s freeways are like fences for the big cats, which live in large open space areas.
National Park Service biologists have documented numerous instances where mountain lions will walk up to freeways, but not cross because they sense the danger. They want to see if the mountain lion will try to make the hills east of the 405 its home, or whether it will cross back to the west.
