L.A.'s P-22 Mountain Lion Exposed to Rat Poison

This story is such a downer.

I blogged this beautiful beast last October, "Mountain Lion P-22."

But now at LAT, "Household rat poison linked to death and disease in wildlife":

The mountain lion known as P-22 looked majestic just a few months ago, in a trail-camera photo shot against the backdrop of the Hollywood sign.

But when a remote camera in Griffith Park captured an image of the puma more recently, it showed a thinner and mangy animal. Scientists sedated him and drew blood samples. They found evidence of exposure to rat poisons.

Now, researchers say they suspect a link between the poisons and the mange, a parasitic skin disease that causes crusting and skin lesions and has contributed to the deaths of scores of bobcats and coyotes. A National Park Service biologist applied a topical treatment for mange and injected Vitamin K to offset the effects of poisoning.

The condition of California's famous cougar is likely to intensify the debate over the use of rat poisons in areas of the state where urban living collides with nature.

Keep reading.

And see the graphic on how large predators are poisoned.

Mange leads to death. The animal was captured and treated so he might survive, but it just seems like a bummer for such a majestic cat. But it's gonna happen when wildlife are so close to humans, and we have to control for pests.

More at the National Wildlife Federation, "Los Angeles Mountain Lion Survives Freeways, Now Threatened by Poison Exposure."