BRENTWOOD, Calif.—A mountain lion was fatally struck by a vehicle Thursday on the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Brentwood area, highlighting the dangers facing the big cats living amid a maze of freeways and the reasoning behind a major wildlife crossing that will break ground Friday.
Officers from the California Highway Patrol received a call just before 1 a.m about an animal lying on the southbound 405 Freeway south of the Getty Center Drive exit. Officers briefly closed the freeway to move the cat out of the freeway lanes.
There was no immediate information on whether the lion was one of dozens being tracked by National Park Service researchers in the Santa Monica Mountains. Ana Cholo of the National Park Service told City News Service the cat is not P-22, the Southland’s most well-known big cat who has roamed the hills of Griffith Park for years. P-22 previously managed to cross the 405 and Ventura (101) freeways.
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