California would consider re-introducing and protecting grizzly bears while also expanding programs aimed at protecting residents from mountain lion attacks under two bills that advanced last week in the state legislature.<\/p>\n
Taken together, the two measures highlight a growing tension in a state that prides itself on stewardship of the environment, as policymakers aim to protect threatened or endangered animals while also keeping people, pets and livestock safe.<\/p>\n
California\u2019s predator management programs have not been fully funded for several years, and the state\u2019s top environmental official, Secretary of Natural Resources\u00a0Wade Crowfoot, called\u00a0attacks by protected wolves and other predators on cattle<\/a>\u00a0in the northern part of the state \u201ca crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n The grizzly bear is the state\u2019s mascot<\/a>,\u00a0but the quarter-ton apex predators have been extinct in\u00a0California\u00a0for more than a century. In parts of the west where they do live, including the area around\u00a0Yellowstone National Park, they are considered a threatened species with a population of about 1900 animals in the 48 contiguous states, according to the\u00a0U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.<\/p>\n The bill by state Sen.\u00a0Laura Richardson, D-San Pedro, would require state wildlife officials to determine whether it is \u201cfeasible and advisable\u201d to relocate some to\u00a0California\u00a0to try to re-establish populations here. If such a program is possible and can be done safely, the bill would direct the state\u00a0Department of Fish and Wildlife\u00a0to develop a roadmap to do so.<\/p>\n The measure, SB 1305, was\u00a0amended earlier this year to reflect concerns<\/a>\u00a0from ranchers, residents and law enforcement officials that the bears would be introduced without a robust plan to protect public safety. In 2023, a 71-year-old\u00a0Sierra County\u00a0woman was killed and eaten by a black bear in her home in\u00a0Downieville.<\/p>\n Richardson\u2019s bill passed in the Senate on a vote of 29 to 9 on Wednesday and was sent to the Assembly.<\/p>\n Mountain lion bill<\/p>\n Another measure making its way through the legislature would require the state to expand and fully fund programs to reduce and respond to\u00a0encounters between humans and mountain lions<\/a>.<\/p>\n