Pregnant Mountain Lion Exposed To Various Rat Poisons Before Being Hit By Car

According to autopsy findings, a pregnant mountain lion that was killed by a car in June near Calabasas had previously been subjected to several rat poisons.

The National Park Service has conducted a lengthy study on the 5-year-old mountain lion, known as P-54. Since 2002, biologists have investigated mountain lions in the counties of Ventura and Los Angeles to learn how they endure in a setting that is becoming more urban.

Mountain lion was hit by a vehicle while being pregnant

(Photo : Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash)

When P-54 was killed on June 17 on Las Virgenes Road between Piuma Road and Mulholland Highway, she was carrying four kittens, according to the park service, as per VCstar.

The mountain lion died from many fractures and other traumatic injuries, according to a necropsy conducted by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab in San Bernardino.

She and each of the four fetuses tested positive for anticoagulant rodenticides, according to the data. Toxins from poisoned rats can migrate up the food chain and cause uncontrollable bleeding and other issues as wildlife consumes them.

The substances in question include second-generation anticoagulants, which are more dangerous and persistent. Most of the second-generation toxins' usage was outlawed by the state last year.

These findings demonstrate that mountain lions are vulnerable to rat poisons even before birth, according to Jeff Sikich, a biologist at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

According to the park service, research has shown that anticoagulant rodenticide chemicals were present in 39 of the 40 tested local mountain lions, including the four fetuses.

One of the main causes of death in the population, the toxins have directly caused the deaths of seven mountain lions.

Early this year, feline parvovirus and rodenticide poisoning were confirmed in the necropsies of weeks-old mountain lion kittens discovered in Thousand Oaks.

A few days after being found outside an office building close to Wildwood Park in November 2021, the two kittens passed away.

The Park Service reported that they had tested positive for rat poisons after dying, making them the study's youngest mountain lions at the time.

Ways to protect wild animals

There are 8 million additional plant and animal species on the planet besides humans. For all living creatures and future generations to prosper together, we have a duty to maintain the environment. Animal protection is necessary to preserve ecosystems and the natural world, as per AARP.

We must stay away from harmful chemicals. We might use chemical pest control and lawn growth stimulants, but these can be quite detrimental to beneficial creatures like bees and butterflies that really are good for the environment.

Fertilizers frequently end up in water sources, where they contaminate rivers and streams, lead to toxic algae blooms, and poison aquatic life.

Instead, choose organic fertilizers like compost or animal manure and natural pest management to deter pests from your garden.

We must study the situation of endangered species. The Endangered Species Coalition aids in locating endangered species and disseminates information on how people can contribute to their preservation.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also maintains a webpage dedicated to endangered species, which provides information about these animals as well as suggestions for how people may support them.

Finally, comprehend the impact of people. Increasing human populations endanger wildlife because they deplete existing resources.

Humans put animals in danger, sometimes without thinking about the beneficial effects that wildlife can have on the future of our planet, whether it be for science, food, or greed.