Uno, a feminine mountain lion usually seen patrolling the mountains in Orange County, died final week after being struck by a car close to Santiago Canyon Highway.
The puma “was considerably well-known for her seeming laissez-faire demeanor round individuals at instances — usually paying little consideration to hikers or others she would possibly encounter,” mentioned the UC Davis California Mountain Lion Challenge.
The varsity, which reported her dying Friday, had been finding out Uno since 2021.
“She was crossing Santiago Canyon Highway, a freeway in Orange County that she has crossed efficiently many instances, however she didn’t get throughout safely on this event,” the Mountain Lion Challenge mentioned on Instagram.
“Valiant efforts to save lots of her life have been undertaken…however she succumbed to large head and chest accidents earlier than vital therapy could possibly be began.”
The cougar, recognized by the examine as F312, had been tagged by researchers in 2021 when she was about 2 years previous.
Within the ensuing years, she was captured many instances by wildlife cameras and photographers, who dubbed her “Uno” due to an harm she had suffered to 1 eye.
Final summer time, wildlife photographer Mark Girardeau captured footage of Uno as she ambled previous him on a mountain climbing path, coming inside a couple of ft of Girardeau.
Within the video, Uno may be seen peeking over the crest of a hill at Girardeau earlier than strolling down the hill.
“Oh s—, she’s coming towards me,” Girardeau says within the video.
The lion walks down the hill, seemingly nonchalant, then breaks right into a jog whereas passing Girardeau.
Throughout her time beneath commentary, Uno in all probability denned greater than as soon as; she produced at the least one litter, with 4 kittens.
However the kittens didn’t survive lengthy sufficient to go away their mom, the Mountain Lion Challenge mentioned. Two kittens have been killed by vehicles, one was killed by illness, and one “merely disappeared.”
Uno is simply the newest mountain lion to be killed on Southern California roadways.
Autos pose a big risk to the massive cats. Between 2015 and 2022, 535 mountain lions have been killed on California highways, in line with a UC Davis examine.
“Fencing tasks that our staff has helped design within the space have dramatically decreased mountain lion and different wildlife deaths on the roads,” the Mountain Lion Challenge mentioned, “however as this exhibits us these enhancements are wanted in lots of extra locations.”
