"12 of the 13 Pumas(mountain lions) being tracked by the National Park Service in the greater Los Angeles Santa Monica Mountains have been accounted for in the wake of the Woolsey Fire"..............,"In addition, all four bobcats the agency monitors have also shown up on telemetry monitors".............."The only mountain lion still missing is dubbed P-74, a young male that was born last year and is the newest lion added to the National Park Service study of big cats".............. "Another lion dubbed P-42 was located Friday morning, along with the last of four bobcats in the mountain area"............... "Park officials confirmed Thursday that they had located P-22, arguably the most famous of the lions in the study"................"P-22 is famous for his camera appearances in Griffith Park(Burbank) and for successfully crossing the San Diego (405) and Ventura (101) freeways".............."P-22's location was verified Wednesday night by a fuzzy picture in Griffith Park"..............."Concern for the cats escalated this week with news that roughly 88 percent of National Park Service land in the area was burned by the Woolsey Fire"............"Though fire is a natural part of the Santa Monica(Greater Los Angeles) ecosystem, too much fire can harm plant communities, reduce wildlife habitat, and actually increase future fire risk"................"Historically, scientists believe that coastal Southern California only had a fire every 100 years or so"................ "Current fires (more than every 20 years) are not natural to this region"................."If the landscape burns more than once in a 20-year span, invasive, exotic, alien weeds and grasses can establish themselves, making the area even more prone to fire".............. These non-native weeds and grasses, also known as flashy fuels. burn quickly and are more susceptible to wind-driven flames"..............."In general, large animals like deer, coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions can cover lots of ground and may be able to escape flames".................."Smaller animals have a much more difficult time".............."Reptiles and amphibians try to burrow underground"..........."Moving forward, biologists will monitor all of the fauna of the Santa Monicas and report on their ability to secure the resources they need to survive and breed successfully"

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There’s ‘some hope’ missing mountain lions, bobcats survived Woolsey Fire, rangers say

Jared Gilmour, 11/15/18

Southern California’s deadly Woolsey Fire isn’t just threatening humans.

The fire has ripped through the habitat of the region’s mountain lions and bobcats, which are GPS-monitored by park rangers at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Two GPS-collared mountain lions (P-74 and P-42) were missing as of Wednesday night — but another tracked animal who had been missing, P-22, has now turned up, park rangers said on Twitter. That mountain lion was found at Griffith Park and “appears to be doing fine,” rangers said.

 Mountain Lion P-22 in the Santa Monica Mountains

“It looks like a moonscape environment,” National Parks spokesperson Kate Kuykendall said in an interview with KPCC, describing the scorched habitat left behind by the fire. “There’s unfortunately not a lot we can do right now, except watch all of these landscapes burning.”

Bobcat in the Santa Monica Mountains

Researchers have tracked dozens of Los Angeles-area mountain lions — loved by some locals, feared by others — since 2002, according to the National Parks Service. Los Angeles is the only megacity other than Mumbai where big cats and humans coexist.

Kuykendall said in the interview that P-74 has a “good, working GPS collar,” while P-22 and P-42 can only be tracked by rangers because of how their collars operate.

Park officials captured a photo of P-22 once the mountain lion had turned up

Coyote in the Santa Monica Mountains

“We still have not located the four bobcats we were tracking, despite fairly extensive efforts,” the rangers wrote in a Tweet on Wednesday. ”There are some areas we can’t access, so there’s still some hope that we’ll have better news.”

The Woolsey Fire has burned nearly 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties as of Thursday morning, and the blaze is 57 percent contained, according to CAL FIRE. It began on Nov. 8. Three firefighters have been injured and two civilians have died, the firefighting agency said. More than 500 structures have been destroyed, with stars like Miley Cyrus and Neil Young losing homes. Nearly 100 additional structures are damaged.

CAL FIRE said the cause of the fire is under investigation. Meanwhile, a blaze in Northern California has killed more than 50, making it the deadliest in state history.

Twitter users asked rangers if there’s any way to help wildlife in the Woolsey Fire’s path.

Bobcat population map in the Santa Monica Mountains

“The best thing is actually to leave wildlife alone. We do not recommend leaving out food and water,” park rangers advised. “If you see an injured animal, do not approach. Call a local wildlife rehab center.”

Coyotes are ubiquitous across the greater Los Angeles region...
Estimates range from 270-1080 Coyotes call the 270 square
mile Santa Monica Recreatio area home

By Tuesday, the Woolsey Fire had scorched more than 80 percent of the National Park Service land in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, leaving significant damage to facilities, trees and trails, park rangers said.

Puma(Mountain Lion) deer kill sites in the Santa Monica Mountains

“Please, stay out of the area for your safety,” Mike Thuene, an information officer for the parks service, said in a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.