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The Los Angeles Times reports that the last breeding pair of pumas in the Santa Monica mountains (rather unromantically dubbed P1 and P2) have produced a litter of four of the rare feline predators, boosting hopes that the species can avoid extinction in the rapidly urbanizing range.These kittens, in a scenario with unsettling similarities to the experiences of UFO "abductees", were implanted with abdominal tracking devices by scientists while their mother was away snacking on deer and/or family pets. Researchers will use the tracking data to chart the tiny carnivore's movements as they wrestle, chase butterflies, and generally engage in kitten-type behavior.
LAist would like to extend our congratulations to the happy couple, notwithstanding the fact that P1 probably does not even realize he's a father. It warms our hearts that somewhere out there, in the rapidly vanishing wilds of LA, is a lioness and her cubs, prowling the range and continuing the unbroken line of mountain lion habitation amongst the crags of the Santa Monica mountains.
Mazel tov!
