California’s mountain lion population is lower than previously believed, indicating potential threats. A recent comprehensive count, the first in decades, estimates 3,200 to 4,500 lions statewide, significantly less than the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s earlier estimate of over 6,000.
According to the LA Times, State and university scientists utilized GPS collar data and genetic information from scat samples to assess population densities across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Mojave Desert, and Southern California’s varied wilderness. The findings reveal varying lion densities, highest in the coastal forests of Humboldt and Mendocino counties and lowest in the high desert east of the Sierra Nevada range.
Large-carnivore biologist Justin Dellinger, leading the California Mountain Lion Project, notes the absence of mountain lions in areas like the Central Valley and parts of the Mojave Desert. Human activities and infrastructure are considered major contributors to the population decline, with factors such as vehicle collisions, rat poison, inbreeding, wildfires, poaching, and urban expansion, particularly in Southern California, forming an “extinction vortex.” The Santa Monica and Santa Ana Mountains face a 1 in 4 chance of mountain lions becoming extinct within 50 years.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is actively identifying and prioritizing wildlife movement barriers, underscoring the significance of the new mountain lion survey in advocating for wildlife crossings and land use decisions.
Although the 7-year project’s findings are pending finalization, experts will review and potentially publish them in a scientific journal later this year.
