A mountain lion was struck by a car and killed on a freeway in Lakeside last weekend, leaving officials wondering if it was the same animal that had been spotted multiple times in Mission Trails Regional Park this summer.
Mission Trails officials said Thursday that the animal had been killed on state Route 67 at Riverford Road.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said they believe the mountain lion was killed Saturday, and UC Davis collected the remains on Sunday.
“Mountain lions can travel long distances and have large territories, so it is possible, but it may also have been another lion moving through our region,” park officials said in a statement posted on Facebook.
A mountain lion had garnered attention from regional officials and residents soon after it was spotted on a trail camera in the widely-visited hiking area in late June. About a month later, a visitor reported seeing a mountain lion near Suycott Valley Trail in the North Fortuna area about 6:50 p.m. on July 23.
At the time, officials did not have details on the sex or age of the mountain lion, or if the two sightings were the same animal. But the sightings did result in city officials placing signs near three trailheads, including Jackson River Crossing, Suycott Valley and Grasslands.
“The recent sightings at Mission Trails have given us an extraordinary glimpse of a native predator moving through more than 8,000 acres of protected open space in the middle of a major city,” park officials said.
A mountain lion is spotted roaming in Mission Trails Regional Park near Suycott Valley Trail in late June. (Point Loma Nazarene University Department of Biology)
It was the third time in the last two years that a mountain lion had been spotted in an area regularly frequented by humans in San Diego County.
Park officials said the mountain lion’s death that was announced this week was a reminder that wildlife need a protected habitat, as well as a safe way to move across landscapes that are divided by roads and highways.
“We also know that extreme heat, drought, wildfire and changing access to water and prey can influence where wildlife moves and how animals use the landscape,” park officials said. “As our climate changes, understanding and protecting those connections becomes even more important.”
Park officials invited the public to attend an event Oct. 7 featuring longtime Mountain Lion Foundation field volunteer Robin Parks at the visitor center. Officials said the event will inform attendees about the habitat at Mission Trails, as well as wildlife movement and what it takes to keep native species on the landscape in a growing and changing region.
“Robin has spent years helping communities better understand mountain lions and how to safely coexist with them,” officials said. “He’ll cover mountain lion biology and behavior, common myths and misinformation, safety, deterrence, California laws and policies and what to do if you encounter a lion.”