Mountain Lion Shot, Killed in Santa Monica Shopping Mall

The mountain lion lies cornered in an office courtyard in Santa Monica. (AFP/Getty Images, Santa…)

by Angel Jennings, Los Angeles Times

In the end, the mountain lion was probably looking for a place to call his own.

Scientists believe the male mountain lion roamed his way down the Santa Monica Mountains early Tuesday, likely following a runoff channel. When daylight broke, he found himself in the middle of the city and scared.

The lion was 3, and experts said that was the age to carve out his own territory.

“These young guys are looking for a home of their own,” said Jeff Sikich, a biologist with the National Park Service. “At this age, they are testing their boundaries and establishing their home range away from other males.”

Officials on Wednesday were studying hair and tissue sample and preparing genetic analysis that could help shed more light on his origins as a debate raged over whether police should have killed the lion.