Two lions starve to death on their way back to their mate

Two male cougars translocated from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the Mojave Desert have starved to death while trying to return home.

Cougars are territorial creatures. Photo: iStock — Cougars are territorial creatures. Photo: *iStock*

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) relocated two cougars, L147 and L176, to a new habitat about 200 miles away in 2021. However, they attempted to return to their original home, possibly to their mates, and did not survive the journey, Newsweek reported on August 31.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) annual report on the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, L147 was found emaciated on March 29, 2021, indicating starvation as the cause of death. Meanwhile, L176 was found near death and had to be euthanized on May 12, 2021.

The report said that both L147 and L176 used a private tunnel to cross I-15, demonstrating the importance of dedicated wildlife paths across major highways. The report suggested that the cougars’ relocation was a test to see if they would cross I-15 and return home. But according to the Los Angeles Times , that’s not true, and a new report on the bighorn sheep in 2021-2022 reveals that they were actually relocated as an alternative to euthanasia.

Cougars prey on bighorn sheep, an endangered species in the Sierra Nevada. Only 125 of the sheep lived in the area in the 1990s. This prompted conservation efforts, which increased the population to 277 by 2022.

“At that time, CDFW was exploring alternatives to killing the cougars on site. We regret that the cougars died this way and will learn from this incident,” said Jordan Traverso, a CDFW spokesperson. CDFW currently has no plans to relocate cougars in this manner in the future.

“Cougars are territorial creatures, in tune with their environment. Relocation can cause severe disorientation and stress, leading to reduced survival rates, reduced hunting success rates, and increased susceptibility to disease due to unfamiliar environments,” said Zara McDonald, a biologist with the Bay Area Cougar Project.

Thu Thao (According to Newsweek )

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