Monrovia Mountain Lion Released Back Into The Wild Found Dead

MONROVIA, CA — A female mountain lion that was rescued from the devastating Bobcat fire and returned to the wild was found dead, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.

The female cat — named "Monrovia" — was treated for burn injuries to her paws last year and was the first mountain lion to be rescued, treated and released back into the wild. She survived for 10 months on her own in the San Gabrial Mountains. Her satellite collar indicated that she died around Aug. 15 in the mountains, according to the a Facebook post by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Officials found her at the bottom of a deep canyon, though it took some time for wildlife officials to reach her. A field necropsy was unsuccessful in determining her cause of death, but the data received showed that she lived in the wild for nearly a year without any conflict with humans.

"This further illustrates that mountain lions can and do live among the communities in San Gabriel foothills," officials wrote in a statement.

Wildlife officials estimate that she was 6 or 7 years old when she was rescued in September of last year. Mountain lions typically live up to 10 years in the wild.

Monrovia was not released into areas affected by wildfires, officials said. During the 10 months, she lived in the wild, she claimed territory in the San Gabriel mountains spanning roughly the distance from Azusa to Burbank.

"She was seen multiple times via trail cameras — both alone and in one instance, walking with a male cat — and appeared to be healthy in the photos," officials said.

She was also able to successfully hunt and kill deer after her release last year, officials confirmed.

"Life can be treacherous for mountain lions in the wild; they can succumb to vehicular strikes, fights with other lions, accidents while trying to kill prey, poaching and other hazards," officials said.