Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich, wildlife biologist with the National Park Service, left, and Laurel Serieys, a UCLA graduate student, wait for a radio signal to confirm that their cages have been engaged before leading a team of biologists and volunteers into a steep canyon to see if they captured two young mountain lions.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73567

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Santa Monica Mountains — With marking tags attached to her ears and an expandable GPS collar secured around her neck, a young female mountain lion named P-25 wakes up in her cage after being tranquilized by National Park Service biologist Jeff Sikich. The cat and her brother P-26 were released after Sikich and his team captured the young lions, considered to be offspring of P-12 and P-13, as part of a decadelong study to better understand how the animals survive in the local urbanized landscape.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73568

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Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich, left, uses a blow gun to administer a tranquilizing dart as volunteer Tanner Saul points a light on a young female mountain lion captured in a cage set earlier in the day. Sikich and his team captured the young female, P-25 and her brother, P-26, to attach GPS collars and document vital information about the cats as part of a decadelong study to better understand how the animals survive in the local urbanized landscape. P-25 was found dead by hikers in Point Mugu State Park over the weekend of Oct. 20-21. The cause of death is unknown.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73579

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Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich carries a tranquilized young male mountain lion captured in the Santa Monica Mountains to a waiting team that will attach a GPS collar and document vital information about the cat.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73569

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Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich, right, and his team take measurements and secure an expandable GPS collar to a tranquilized P-25. She was found dead by hikers in Point Mugu State Park over the weekend of Oct. 20-21. The cause of death is unknown.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73570

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Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich measures the teeth of a tranquilized P-25 in August. The young female mountain lion was found dead of unknown causes by hikers in Point Mugu State Park over the weekend of Oct. 20-21.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73571

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Santa Monica Mountains — A biologist checks the huge paw of a tranquilized young male mountain lion after it was captured in August.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73572

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Santa Monica Mountains — A tranquilized P-25 gets a thorough once-over after the young female mountain lion was captured in August. She was to be part of a decadelong study to better understand how the animals survive in the local urbanized landscape but was found dead by hikers in Point Mugu State Park in late October of unknown causes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73573

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Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich, left, studies a tranquilized P-26. The young female mountain lion was found dead in late October.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73574

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Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich uses radio-telemetry to monitor the movements of mountain lions.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73575

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Santa Monica Mountains — Jeff Sikich surveys thearea near the 101 Freeway and Liberty Canyon where wildlife advocates are hoping a tunnel will someday be constructed to connect various mountain lion habitat, allowing the animals to roam much farther. Cougars in the Santa Monica Mountains are penned in by the 101 and 405 freeways, making inbreeding a serious threat to their long-term survival.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73576

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National Park Service wildlife biologist Jeff Sikich prepares to dart P-10, a mountain lion in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Sikich is a well-regarded tracker of carnivores who has worked with agencies and nonprofit groups around the world to capture and collar animals, many of them threatened, so that their habits, movements and life spans could be studied.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Jeff Sikich

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=73577

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