This lion was not only a critically important individual to the gene pool of the Santa Monica cougar population, he was a study animal with a VERY expensive collar. Regardless of your political views on wildlife, hunting, and California's "protected species" status, this person has cost you, as a taxpayer, a whole lot of money in funding. With the theft of the collar, they've even ruined any chance at getting valuable information from the study of this animal.
SACRAMENTO- A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of poachers who killed a mountain lion in the Santa Monica Mountains last month.
The Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG)CAL-TIP line is offering a $2,500 reward and the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust is matching that amount.
The lion was discovered on Sept. 11, 2011after DFG and the National Park Service received a call of a dead mountain lion in the Santa MonicaMountains. DFG game wardens determined that the lion did not die of natural causes and opened an investigation.
Mountain lions are designated as a “specially protected mammal” in California, and it is illegal to hunt or trap them.
DFG and the National Park Service are seeking information related to the lion death and the parties responsible. Anyone with any information regarding this case should call the the DFGCal-Tip hotline at 1-888-334-2258.
Hmmmm, Doesn't say how it died. I wonder if it was shot, or snagged in some kind of trap? I dont see where it says the collar was stolen. I wonder why someone would kill it and take the collar?
hvydrt wrote: ↑Hmmmm, Doesn't say how it died. I wonder if it was shot, or snagged in some kind of trap? I dont see where it says the collar was stolen. I wonder why someone would kill it and take the collar?
There was another article that said the collar had been "removed". Now that I think about it, I don't know if that means it was taken, or simply removed and left on the ground. They seem sure it was human-caused, but I don't know any details other than it was "mutilated".
The tracking collar had been removed and the animal had been mutilated. To determine its identity, researchers sent tissue samples to the UCLA Conservation Genetics Resource Center, which compared it to samples previously taken from mountain lions in the study. It was P-15.
He also had an ear tag, which would have easily identified him. So why the need for DNA testing? No head??
