February 15, 2025 Your Source for Brentwood News

Adult Female Mountain Lion P-54 and Her Four Full-Term Fetuses Were Exposed to Multiple Anticoagulant Rodenticides

5-year-old cat was killed on Las Virgenes Road between Piuma Road and Mulholland Highway at around 9:30 a.m. on June 17, 2022

Adult female P-54, a mountain lion struck and killed by a vehicle earlier this year, was pregnant with four kittens. According to biologists from the National Park Service (NPS), all five animals tested positive for multiple anticoagulant rodenticides (rat poison). 

“This is the first time during our 20-year study that we’ve been able to test mountain lion fetuses for anticoagulant rodenticides,” said Jeff Sikich, a biologist on the mountain lion project at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a unit of NPS. 

“A primary goal of our work is to learn whatever we can about these animals and how their lives are affected by the urban landscape they inhabit. Unfortunately, we’ve learned that mountain lions are susceptible to rat poisons even before they are born,” Sikich said. “In this case, it is also unfortunate because the death of P-54 from a vehicle resulted in the loss of four other young mountain lions, two males and two females, that were about to enter the population.” 

The 5-year-old cat was killed on Las Virgenes Road between Piuma Road and Mulholland Highway at around 9:30 a.m. on June 17, 2022. Her body was taken to the California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) Lab in San Bernardino for a necropsy and testing. Traumatic injuries, including multiple fractures to the ribs and left femur, were the cause of death.  

Other results showed that like almost every other mountain lion tested in and around the Santa Monica Mountains, anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) compounds were detected in her liver. She had been exposed to five compounds (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, difethialone, and diphacinone). The neurotoxic rodenticide bromethalin was also detected in her abdominal fat tissue.  

All four full-term fetuses were exposed to three anticoagulant compounds (bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, and diphacinone), and three of the four were also exposed to brodifacoum. These included first-generation AR compounds, diphacinone and chlorophacinone, and longer-lasting and faster-acting second-generation compounds, bromadiolone and brodifacoum. NPS researchers have now documented the presence of anticoagulant rodenticide compounds in 39 out of 40 local mountain lions tested, including these four fetuses. 

P-54 was born in January 2017. The following month, NPS researchers marked her with a tracking device as a kitten while her mother, P-23, was away from the den.  

In January 2018, P-23 was found dead after being struck by a vehicle along the same road – Las Virgenes – but further south from where P-54 was found three months ago. One of P54’s offspring, P97, was killed by a vehicle on the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center in April 2022. He was 18 months old and had recently dispersed. 

Biologists say that the results from P-54 and her kittens show that exposure to toxicants is still widespread and repeated, given the presence of five different compounds, in wildlife in and around the park.  

The event also highlights two of the significant sources of mortality for wildlife in the area – vehicles, and toxicants. 

NPS has been studying mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains for the last two decades to determine how they survive in a fragmented and urbanized environment. CDFW oversees the state’s management and conservation of mountain lions.

in News
Related Posts

UCLA Suspends Pro-Palestinian Student Groups Following Protest at UC Regent’s Home

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Chancellor Cites Potential Student Code Violations; Student Groups Reject Allegations UCLA has suspended two pro-Palestinian student organizations following a protest...

Flash Flood Warning Issued for Burn Areas, LAFD Officer Swept off Road by Debris

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Storm Damage Closes Pacific Coast Highway, Officials Urge Caution Not even members of the LAFD are being spared from the...

Brentwood Crime Report: February 1, 2025 – February 8, 2025

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

By Senior Lead Officer Matthew Kirk For the first week of February 2025, Senior Lead Officer Matthew Kirk has written...

Culver City Police Investigate Disturbing Incident in Culver City Park

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Police Secure Area as Investigation Unfolds on Thursday Morning The Culver City Police Department received a call around 7:23 a.m....

Here are Your Last Minute Ideas if You Still Haven’t Planned Your Valentine’s Day Date

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Luscious Cookies, Delightful Drinks, Full Dinners at Home or In House, We’ve Got Them Okay, maybe you have been a...

Beloved Baldwin Hills Family-Owned Restaurant Post & Beam to Close After 13 Years

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Community Icon Shuts Doors as Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Redevelopment  In yet another loss for the Los Angeles culinary community,...

Santa Monica Hotel Event Space Offers Affordability, Accessibility

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Elevate Your Events with Versatile Venues and Exceptional Service Coastal stays and eclectic event spaces don’t have to be expensive....

Flour Pizzeria & Cafe to Bring Brooklyn-Style Pizza to Brentwood This Week

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Family-Owned Favorite from the Palisades to Open on San Vicente  Flour Pizzeria & Cafe, a restaurant from Pacific Palisades run...

(Video) The Willows Students Bring a 50-Foot Dragon to Life Through Art and Teamwork

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Kristy Acero, The Willows DK-4th Grade Art teacher, led her students in a large-scale, collaborative project, with each grade creating...

ART& 2025: NeueHouse Unveils Inspiring Lineup Celebrating Feminine Leadership

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Four-Day Event in Venice Beach Explores Creativity, Activism, and Cultural Impact NeueHouse has unveiled the schedule for ART& 2025, a...

Brentwood Community Council Meeting For February, First Meeting After Palisades Fire

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

Local Leaders, Crime Updates, and Community Discussions on the Agenda The Brentwood Community Council will host its next meeting on...

Canned Tuna Pulled from Shelves Over Botulism Contamination Risk

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

El Segundo Seafood Company Issues Voluntary Recall Through FDA Tri-Union Seafoods has issued a voluntary recall of certain canned tuna...

Powerful Storm to Bring Heavy Rains, Possible Debris Flow to Los Angeles

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

Officials Warn of Risks, Urge Residents to Prepare for Severe Weather A Pacific storm system is expected to bring widespread...

Retailers Impose Egg Purchase Restrictions as Supply Chain Disruptions Cause Concern

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Egg Limits Are Back – What’s Causing the Shortage? Retailers across the United States, including Costco and Trader Joe’s, have...

Esteemed Brentwood Entertainment Reporter Sam Rubin Honored at Major Awards Ceremonies

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Industry Pays Tribute to a Broadcasting Legend With Special Recognition The late Sam Rubin, a longtime and beloved entertainment reporter...