Mountain lion known for crossing LA area freeways dead after Woolsey Fire
Source: NBC News
Mountain lion known for crossing LA area freeways dead after Woolsey Fire
The animal's paws were burned, but a cause of death has not been determined.
Dec. 7, 2018 / 8:04 PM EST
By Phil Helsel
A mountain lion known for crossing the Los Angeles areas notoriously busy freeways has died after surviving the Woolsey Fire, the National Park Service said Friday.
The cause of death of the big cat known as P-64, which had a home range in the Simi Hills, the northern Santa Monica Mountains and the southern Santa Susana Mountains, has not been determined but its "paws were visibly burned." The wildfire broke out Nov. 8 and destroyed 1,643 homes and other structures.
Three people also died in the fire, which was fully contained by Nov. 21. Their names have not been released and identifications are pending, the Los Angeles medical examiners office said. The fire forced the evacuation of Malibu and other communities and burned nearly 97,000 acres, officials said.
"P-64 was a fascinating cat to study because he crossed our notoriously deadly freeways dozens of times," Jeff Sikich, biologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, said in a statement.
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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mountain-lion-known-crossing-la-area-freeways-dead-after-woolsey-n945471
A mountain lion, known as P-64, walks through a tunnel near the Santa Monica Mountains in California in May. The mountain lion was found dead Monday after surviving a recent wildfire. Courtesy of National Park Service