For the wildlife of the Santa Monica Mountains, the freeways in Los Angeles pose a manifestly deadly threat. The groan of engines, the whine of brakes, the sight of so much steel and rubber hurtling by at unimaginable speeds—the survival instinct screams: Stay away.
And yet, year after year, the mountain lions of Los Angeles attempt the sprint across. Many die trying. In July 2019, a male cougar known as P-61 became the first big cat tagged with a GPS collar to successfully cross the 405 Freeway. That September, he tried again and was struck and killed by oncoming traffic in the Sepulveda Pass. Two more mountain lions perished last year on the roadbed of Highway 101. At least 23 mountain lions have been killed by cars in L.A. since studies began in 2002.
At over 150,000 acres, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation
