Mountain Lion Cubs Orphaned After Mother Killed On Highway 74 In San Juan Capistrano

A mother mountain lion fatally struck by a car left her cubs orphaned. Here’s more from the Los Angeles Times:

A 3-year-old mountain lion, the mother of two cubs, was struck and killed by a vehicle on State Route 74 in San Juan Capistrano, according to the UC Davis California Carnivores Program. 

The two cubs, one male and one female, are 14 months old — essentially adolescents in the mountain lion life cycle. They were still being looked after by their shy, small mother, dubbed F390, at the time of her death on Sept. 4. The cubs would likely have stayed with her for a few more months, learning how to hunt and navigate, before going on to live independently, according to Fernando Nájera, director of the program. 

“It’s a critical time in their lives,” Nájera said. “They have a lot to learn in a short period of time and now they are doing it without a mama.”

In a Linkedin post, the Center For Biological Diversity added some details:

The cubs are too young to be safely separated from her but too old to be taken in by a rescue center.

Roads are among the many threats to these 14-month-old kittens, who already face an extinction vortex driven by inbreeding and rat poisons (as well as vehicle strikes).

The Center works hard to reduce the risks to wide-ranging wildlife like mountain lions, panthers, and red wolves by improving habitat connectivity.