A Southern California mountain lion tracked by scientists as part of a federal study was killed after officials issued a permit to a property owner whose livestock was repeatedly attacked.
Biologists say they were informed that the cougar dubbed P-56 was killed on Jan. 27.
It's the first time the Department of Fish and Wildlife granted permission to kill a big cat in the Santa Monica Mountains under California's depredation law.Â
P-56, estimated to be about 5 years old, had been tracked via radio collar since 2017 by researchers studying how the animals survive as urban areas encroach into wildland.
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