Mountain lion hit by pick-up truck on Highway 46

The California Highway Patrol responded to a crash involving a vehicle and a mountain lion on Highway 46 on Sunday morning.

A white pick-up truck on the eastbound lane hit the mountain lion at about 11:28 a.m. near Templeton, according to the CHP’s traffic incident page.

The crash appeared to be accidental, and all passengers in the vehicle had no injuries, according to the CHP page.

The mountain lion was first believed to be potentially dead, but at 11:31 a.m. the CHP page said the animal was still breathing.

The truck appeared to be driveable but was at the time blocking the westbound lane, the CHP said.

Further details were not immediately available. A request for information from the CHP was not returned Sunday afternoon.

This story was originally published June 1, 2025 at 2:14 PM.