SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The mountain lion population in Southern California and the Central Coast is now officially classified as a threatened species in California after years of issues with the animals and humans alike.
A San Francisco mountain lion, or 157M as he was originally named, caught the attention of the entire city during his prowl in January and raised awareness about the problems.
157M is back in the wild and the environmental leaders want to keep him there safely.
On Thursday, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to increase puma protections for a group of mountain lions by listing them on the threatened species list.
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“Mountain lions obviously are an iconic California species, with decades of protections and public interest,” CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Acting Director Valerie Termini said. “They evoke strong and varied perceptions on management, but the segment of the population we’re talking about today is clearly at risk.”
Those at risk would be the cats that specifically call the Santa Monica Hills and Santa Cruz Mountains home.
The protections would ensure harms from development projects are minimized and could lead to more wildlife crossings.
The biggest threat to mountain lions is habitat loss, which leads to isolated populations and increased suburban sightings.
“Additional threats, such as vehicle strikes, rodenticide exposure and diseases, have the potential to further depress the size of these small populations, exacerbating their exposure to demographic and environmental random events and the effects of inbreeding depression,” said CADFW Sr. Environmental Scientist Daniel Applebee.
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Not everyone was on board with the decision.
Farmers, like Half Moon Bay’s Vince Fontana, argued more protections would restrict management of wild lions and further increase wild stock losses.
“I see nothing here other than a real problem for all wildlife, not just the mountain lion,” Fontana said. “This is detrimental to the balance, the ecosystem and the whole thought of how we’re trying to improve and protect the wildlife, not to mention the cattle industry that I’m trying to protect.”
Despite concerns, the Commission said this unanimous vote is the best way toward safe coexistence for all.
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