A young mountain lion who was caught last month after roaming the streets of San Francisco and then released into a nature reserve was found dead on the shoulder of a highway in northern California on Friday, authorities said.
The mountain lion was found along Highway 1 near Pacifica, said Mark Andrews, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle that apparently hit the animal did not stop.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that it was the same cougar seen last month wandering around San Francisco for a couple of days before being captured near Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.
The widely shared photos and videos showed the cougar crossing the city streets and looking at its reflection in the glass of the office towers.
After being caught, the large cat was examined at the Oakland Zoo before fish and wildlife officials released it into a nature reserve in mid-June with an identification tag on its ear.
On Friday, authorities verified the cougar’s identity with its tag, said Ken Paglia, an agency spokesman.
The male mountain lion was 12 to 18 months old and weighed about 70 pounds, Paglia said.
The mountain lion was suspected to have killed two wallaroos and a red kangaroo at the San Francisco Zoo. All three animals were found dead in their outdoor exposure and the zoo said a wild carnivore appeared to be responsible. The zoo said it was investigating whether the cougar was to blame.
Paglia said as many as 100 mountain lions are beaten and killed by vehicles in California each year.
