Puma Profiles: P-98, the Mountain Lion That Attacked a Child in Calabasas

P-98 was a young male mountain lion in the Santa Monica Mountains, recorded by the National Park Service's study on August 26, 2021.

P-98. NPS.

Family

Trail cameras first found him in the winter of 2020, about 3 months old, with his mother P-54 and his brother P-97 — P-54's second litter of 2020. Her May litter of three (P-82, P-83 and P-84), which opened that year's "summer of kittens" — five mothers giving birth between May and September — is believed not to have survived, and she gave birth again in late October.

The attack

At about 10:45 a.m. on August 26, 2021, P-98 attacked a young child in an unincorporated area of Calabasas. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife investigated. A wildlife officer at the home found an aggressive mountain lion crouched in a corner of the property; judging from its behaviour and closeness to the attack that it was probably the attacker, he shot it there to protect the public. The lion was 10 months old.

His brother P-97 later appeared with their mother. He was sedated with a non-lethal dart, and his DNA showed he was not involved. P-54 was not captured and later moved away. The next day Park Service biologists, working with the state, radio-collared P-97 and released him near his mother, and they were reunited.

Sources

• National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, "Puma Profiles: P-98." https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/puma-profiles-p-98.htm
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife, "Mountain Lion Dispatched After Attack Near Calabasas": https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/mountain-lion-dispatched-after-attack-near-calabasas