Young Mountain Lion Likely Died In Woolsey Fire

MALIBU, CA — Efforts to find a young mountain lion last seen in the Santa Monica Mountains on the day the Woolsey fire erupted have come up empty.

National Park Service officials said this week the young lion likely perished in the blaze. A dozen other lions being tracked by the Park Service were found alive after the fire, but the collared lion known as P-74 has disappeared without a trace.

"His GPS collar has not reported to us since Nov. 9, the day the fire moved into the central part of the Santa Monica Mountains," according to the Park Service. "Our biologists also went into the field and searched by foot, but had no luck. We believe that he had not yet dispersed from his mother, who was not radio-collared."

Park officials knew that P-74 was born last year and was still travelling with the his mother when the fire broke out. His last known location was a remote area of the Santa Monica Mountains between Yerba Buena Road and Mulholland Highway. He was the most recent lion to be captured and radio-collared by park officials.

Several of the collared animals have perished in recent years mostly while trying to cause busy freeways, some have been poisoned and one was killed by her mate.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo or p-74 courtesy of the National Park Service