A mountain lion that was shot to death by Santa Monica police after it wandered into a courtyard near the Third Street Promenade was not an exotic pet but was linked to a population of big cats generally found north of the Ventura (101) Freeway, according to DNA test results released today.
According to the National Park Service, biologists believe the young male lion may have been the offspring of a cat known as , which is the only lion documented as crossing the 101 Freeway.
The DNA results do not offer any information on how the lion managed to wander all the way to downtown Santa Monica, but biologists said its travels
may be indicative of "dispersal'' behavior, during which young adult male lions search for new territory to escape threats from larger males or to find a mate.
Seth Riley, an urban wildlife expert with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, noted that such movements can be critical for animal populations that are penned-in by geography and development–such as the
mountain lions hemmed in by the 101 and San Diego (405) freeways.
Such penned-in populations eventually suffer from a lack of genetic diversity– brought on by inbreeding–and significant genetic defects.
Animal rights activists have criticized police and state Department of Fish and Game officials for killing the 3-year-old, 95-pound male mountain lion on the morning of May 22 in the courtyard of a building on Second Street south of Wilshire Boulevard.
They complained that officials' use of pepper balls and water hoses frightened and agitated the animal after it was shot with a tranquilizer dart.
Police said pepper balls were fired into the ground to keep the puma from attempting to flee from the courtyard into a populated area, and water was
sprayed on glass doors to render them opaque so he would not try to leap into
them while the tranquilizer took hold.
But efforts to contain the animal using harmless means failed. The lion attempted to bolt from the courtyard, prompting officers to open fire, killing
the animal.
Santa Monica Police Department officials said they plan to meet later this month with representatives from the California Department of Fish and Game, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, In Defense of Animals, the Pacific Institute for Restoration Ecology, Cal State Channel Islands and veterinarians who specialize in large animals, he said.
The purpose of the meeting will be "to explore viable alternatives in an effort to prepare for any future incident,'' according to Sgt. Richard Lewis.
"Due to the fact that there are no reported instances in recent history (30 plus years) regarding a mountain lion within the city limits, the Santa Monica Police Department is formulating a unique approach to address the concerns associated with this unusual occurrence,'' Lewis said earlier this month.
