3 mountain lion kittens discovered in Simi Hills wildlife area

SIMI HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Biologists have found three female mountain lion kittens in the Simi Hills wildlife area.

P-113, P-114 and P-115 are all about a month old. Their mom is P-77, a mountain lion that has been tracked by biologists for several years.

The kittens were discovered in the wildlife area between Santa Monica and the Santa Susana mountains.

Pictures showed the adorable kittens, who biologists say appear to be healthy.

Biologists say they think P-77 has had a litter before, and that they are unsure who the father is of this new trio of kittens.

"It will be interesting to learn how these kittens will use the landscape once they get older and disperse, particularly if they decide to stay in the Simi Hills or cross freeways to enter larger natural areas," said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist of the NPS mountain lion study, according to a National Parks Service release. "It's encouraging to see reproduction in our small population of mountain lions, especially after all the mortalities we have documented in the last year."

The two male mountain lions that have been tracked in the Simi Hills in recent years have both died. One was poached and another died as a result of the Woolsey Fire in 2018.

P-77's litter is the third litter to be marked in the Simi Hills by biologists. The first was in 2018 and another in 2020. Both mothers have died as well.