The State agent responsible for fisheries and wildlife provides detailed information on the incident that occurred at the end of October.
ATASCADERO – At the end of October a mountain lion was spotted injured on Highway 101 near Santa Rosa Road and taken to the Morro Bay Wildlife Center for treatment.
Unfortunately, this story has no happy ending as the hips of a young female mountain lion were broken and euthanised in two places, said Lieutenant Matthew Gil of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It includes the districts of San Luis Obispo and Monterey.
We had hoped to get him into rehab and let him go when he got better, Gil said. We’ve done our best to give this lion every chance we can. She’s had a very difficult life.
He was probably hit by a car just before he was killed on 29th Street. October was discovered by a man walking near Highway 101 and the intersection of Santa Rosa Highway, Gil said.
A man saw a mountain lion on the shoulder of Highway 101 North around 10:00 a.m. and reported it to the California Highway Patrol, who contacted Gil at the CDFW.
When Gil arrived, he said they saw a mountain lion make a deep cut in his hind leg.
He was hurt, but you couldn’t see how bad it was, Gil said. It worked. He would have turned away from us and whistled at us as we approached.
Unaware of the seriousness of the mountain lion’s injuries, the Fish and Wildlife Company, on the advice of the state veterinarian, decided to catch the lion and take it with them for treatment.
Around noon, all southern and northern lanes of Highway 101 were closed as a precaution to mountain lions, emergency services and public transport.
In case it starts to work, Mr. Gil said. We didn’t want to see her in traffic.
Gil used two stun darts to catch the animal. The mountain lion was loaded into Gil’s truck and taken to the Pacific Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Morro Bay.
In the middle they discovered that it was a female small mountain lion with a weight of 45 pounds, which makes him about a year old.
The x-rays showed how badly a mountain lion is injured and how difficult his life is, Gil said.
In addition to the current pelvic fractures, X-rays showed that he had a broken knee, probably from a previous car accident. He healed, but couldn’t jump through, Gil said, noting that a mountain lion had tried in vain to jump into a tree along the road.
The mountain lion was euthanised and a necropsy was performed.
According to Gil, the mountain lion was alone and was probably hit by a car six months ago. Deer are a source of food for mountain lions. Jill said she probably followed deer in the area looking for food and water.
He was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time, Gil said, adding that there are no reports of a mountain lion being hit by a car.
Gil said that female mountain lions are traditionally lighter than males, and that 45 pounds is a little lighter for a female, but she’s not exhausted or hungry.
Gil said the mountain lions are in the area, but they usually see you before you see them.
Gil said the CDFV is trying to calculate how many mountain lions there are on the central coast.
Not all stories about mountain lions end in euthanasia. Gil said in June that they had caught a young mountain lion near Kermit King Elementari, northeast of Paso Robles. He was labeled and released unharmed.
If anyone noticed a mountain lion, Gill said he had to report it to the local authorities. He advised those standing in front of a mountain lion to remain calm and retreat slowly.
For more information, please visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/.
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