Santa Cruz mountain lions among population officially classified as threatened species
The Southern California and Central Coast mountain lion population is now officially listed as a threatened species in California after years of problems with animals and humans.
A San Francisco mountain lion, or 157M as it was originally called, attracted citywide attention during its excursion in January and raised awareness of the issues.
157M is back in the wild and environmental leaders want to keep it safe.
The California Fish and Game Commission on Thursday voted to increase mountain lion protections for a group of mountain lions by placing them on the endangered species list.
MORE: Is wildlife viewing more common in SF? Experts explain after mountain lion incident
“Mountain lions are obviously an iconic California species, with decades of protection and public concern,” said Valerie Termini, acting director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “They evoke strong and varied perceptions about management, but the population segment we are talking about today is clearly at risk.”
Those at risk would be cats that specifically inhabit the Santa Monica Hills and Santa Cruz Mountains.
The protections would ensure that damage from development projects is minimized and could lead to more wildlife crossings.
The greatest threat to mountain lions is habitat loss, leading to isolated populations and an increase in suburban sightings.
“Additional threats, such as vehicle collisions, rodenticide exposure and disease, have the potential to further reduce the size of these small populations, exacerbating their exposure to random demographic and environmental events and the effects of inbreeding depression,” said Daniel Applebee, CADFW senior environmental scientist.
MORE: Mountain lion captured in SF neighborhood has long history of encounters with biologists
Not everyone agreed with the decision.
Farmers, like Vince Fontana of Half Moon Bay, argued that more protections would restrict wild lion management and further increase wild stock losses.
“I don’t see anything here other than a real problem for all wildlife, not just the mountain lion,” Fontana said. “It hurts the balance, the ecosystem and how we try to enhance and protect wildlife, not to mention the cattle industry that I’m trying to protect.”
Despite concerns, the Commission said this unanimous vote was the best way to achieve safe coexistence for all.
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
