Mountain Lion Found Dead Near Under-Construction 101 Wildlife Crossing

AGOURA HILLS, CA — A mountain lion was found dead Saturday on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, not far from the under-construction wildlife crossing being built as part of an effort to reduce cougar fatalities.

The lion was found in the far right southbound lane near Liberty Canyon Road. Someone called authorities to report a possible animal in the road just before 5 a.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The cougar was not wearing a monitoring collar. Troopers moved the animal to the shoulder of the freeway and sought help from California Fish and Wildlife, which confirmed Saturday morning that it collected the mountain lion’s body for gathering DNA, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Obviously we have a solution coming, but it didn’t come soon enough for this cat,” Beth Pratt, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation told the Times. “This is just another harsh reminder that this is the right place [for the crossing].”

The wildlife crossing will be a fully landscaped bridge that will span over all 10 lanes of the freeway in Agoura Hills. The crossing is meant to connect the small population of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and the larger, more genetically diverse populations to the north.

Construction began in 2022 and is set to be completed either next year or in early 2026.
Decades of road construction and development have been deadly for animals trying to cross the area's freeways, while creating islands of habitat that have genetically isolated wildlife ranging from bobcats to birds and lizards.

Wildlife advocates hope the crossing can save the threatened local population of mountain lions from extinction, which could become inevitable if lions continue a historic pattern of inbreeding due to the limited numbers of cats in the area.

The project reached a major milestone earlier this spring after crews finished installing 82 enormous beams that will eventually support the tons of soil and plants that will make up the nation's largest wildlife bridge.