DNA Results Show Further Signs of Inbreeding in Local Mountain Lions

P-32, shown here, is one of three mountain lion kittens born recently in the Santa Monica Mountains that are the result of first-order inbreeding.

National Park Service

News Release Date: January 9, 2014

Contact: Kate Kuykendall, 805-370-2343

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Preliminary DNA results from three mountain lion kittens born in the Santa Monica Mountains last month indicate they are the result of inbreeding. The results underscore the need for improvements to the wildlife corridor that is currently obstructed by the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills.

"Unfortunately, this litter of kittens is the latest example of first-order inbreeding in which a father mates with his offspring," said Dr. Seth Riley, an urban wildlife expert at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service. "Allowing safe passage from the Simi Hills into the Santa Monica Mountains is our best shot at addressing the lack of genetic diversity in the local population."

The preliminary paternity results from UCLA's Robert Wayne Lab indicate that Puma 12, known as P-12, is the father of the three new kittens, as well as the father of the mother, P-19. The kittens, one male and two females, were born in the Malibu Springs area and were ear-tagged by biologists with the National Park Service last month. They are known as P-32, P-33 and P-34.

P-12 is the only radio-collared mountain lion documented to successfully cross the 101 Freeway, thereby contributing new genetic material to the isolated population in the Santa Monica Mountains. He crossed near the Liberty Canyon exit in Agoura Hills, which has long been identified as the ideal location for a wildlife crossing because of the natural habitat on both sides of the freeway and its connection to vast areas of open space. 

In October, a mountain lion attempting to cross into the Santa Monica Mountains was struck and killed by a car in the same location. The area is part of a critical wildlife corridor that connects the Santa Susana Mountains and Simi Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains.

Previous attempts to secure transportation funding to build an estimated $10M tunnel under the freeway have been unsuccessful, but another round of applications is expected sometime this year. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is considering funding a study that would examine a variety of solutions to address the problem.

Though the new kittens appear to be healthy, inbreeding is just one of many challenges facing the mountain lion population in the Santa Monica Mountains. The National Park Service's decade-long study to better understand how the animals survive in such an urbanized landscape shows that conflict with other lions, rodenticide poisoning and vehicle collisions are the top causes of death among more than 30 lions studied.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. It comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. Visit www.nps.gov/samo. 

###