Cougars in the Santa Ana Mountains may be in trouble if the connections to the Eastern Peninsular Range across the 15 isn’t secured (and soon!). Connecting our landscapes together means the top predator can survive… but at the 15 Freeway (a choke point) exists. Human activity and noise are deterring the animals. Some have died trying to cross the freeway. Without new genes the species will face dire genetic consequences, weakened immune systems, and may die out in our local mountains.

Check out the Press Enterprise article.