THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) - The National Park Service says researchers in Southern California have re-captured a female mountain and treated it for mange, a parasitic disease of the hair and skin.
Spokeswoman Kate Kuykendall says Thursday that tests will determine whether the mange is a result of exposure to a rodenticide that’s been detected in other mountain lions.
The 3-year-old female known as P-53 was re-captured Feb. 10.
The mountain lion P-22, which made headlines after being spotted in a Los Angeles park, also received the same treatment for mange and eventually recovered.
Officials say P-53’s is the fifth case of mange in mountain lions since a study began in 2002. The connection between exposure to rodenticide and the disease is still not fully understood.
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