“The biggest threat to mountain lions in this region is the
loss and fragmentation of their habitat because of past and current
urbanization,” said Dr. Seth Riley, an expert on urban wildlife with Santa
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA). “Over the long-term,
isolation of a small population of large carnivores such as mountain lions can
result in inbreeding, reduced genetic diversity and even significant genetic
defects.” …
Lions from the Santa Monica Mountains are hemmed in by the
101 and 405 freeways, making the lack of genetic diversity a serious threat to
their long-term survival. Biologists from SMMNRA, a unit of the National Park
Service, are currently tracking five mountain lions as part of a decade-long
study to better understand how the animals survive in such an urbanized
landscape. The study has already documented cases of “first order” inbreeding
in which a father lion mated with his offspring.
National Park Service biologists, along with other community
groups, will participate in a meeting with the Santa Monica Police Department
in late June to help formulate a strategy for addressing this unique case,
should it arise again. An agency
biologist arrived on the scene after the lion had been killed. After examining
the lion to determine its age and gender, he submitted tissue to the lab of
Robert Wayne at UCLA, which conducted the genetic analysis. The DNA results do not shed light on how the mountain lion
traveled to downtown Santa Monica…
Full story from National Park Service at http://www.nationalparksblog.com/dna-results-shed-light-on-dead-santa-monica-lion/
Something to sleep on, if you happen to be a lion:
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