A mountain lion was found dead next to the median on the 405 Freeway Thursday afternoon, marking the second time in a month that a dead cougar has been found on a Southern California highway.
Austin Chavez, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s West Los Angeles office, said the mountain lion was near the Getty Center and Skirball Center avenues around 2:30 p.m. Drive) found along the center divider between highway exits.
“It was lying in the center divider and that’s when one of our officers located the mountain lion and confirmed it was deceased,” Chavez said.
The CHP has notified the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Transportation of the incident.
The animal’s cause of death is under investigation. Chavez said officers at the scene said there was no indication the mountain lion suffered blunt force trauma from the car collision, but a vehicle collision was not completely ruled out.
Officials with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area said the mountain lion did not have a collar and was not part of a National Park Service study wolf pack.
Last month, a mountain lion was found dead in the far right lane of Highway 101 near Liberty Canyon Road in Agoura Hills. National Wildlife Federation officials said the death was likely caused by a car.
The incident occurred near the construction site of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing Project, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
