A mountain lion who made waves in Orange County this summer after a close encounter with a wildlife photographer has died after she was struck by a car, according to the UC Davis California Mountain Lion Project.
The puma, named F312 but often called “Uno” due to her having an injured eye, was hit by a car while crossing Santiago Canyon Road in the Santa Ana Mountains on Thursday.
“She succumbed to massive head and chest injuries before significant treatment could be started,” the CMLP said on Instagram.
Tiffany Yap, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that “sadly, it’s become far too easy to predict how a mountain lion will die in Southern California,” referring to being struck by a vehicle.
“California pumas face too many threats from humans, and that’s particularly true in the Santa Ana Mountains where Uno perished,” Yap said. “We can help prevent these tragedies by making mountain lion protections permanent and building more crossings so people and wildlife can travel safely.”
Another prominent mountain lion, P-22, died under similar circumstances after being hit by a car near Griffith Park in 2022.