Urban sprawl has made life for Southern California cougars increasingly difficult. Now a new study predicts that two cougar populations in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica Mountains may end up becoming extinct within 50 years.
Some of the factors contributing to the high probability of extinction include:
- Low genetic diversity (inbreeding) due to fragmented habitat
- Loss of territory from residential and commercial development
- Loss of prey
- Vehicle strikes
- Poaching
- Disease
- Rat poison
- Wildfires
- Public safety killings
The study was co-authored by the University of Nebraska, UCLA, U.C. Davis, University of Washington, Northern Arizona University and the University of Wyoming.
Relocation
Conservationists are considering moving the cougars to a new location to try and prevent their extinction. State laws prohibit translocation, but the Department of Fish and Wildlife may decide to grant an exemption.
Relocating the cougars would also require transporting large numbers of mule deer (a food source) to the cat’s new territory.
Building an Overpass
Another solution to the problem is building an overpass at a cost of $60 million. Approximately $7.5 million has already been raised to pay for the bridge, including $1 million from the Annenberg Foundation, $250,000 from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and $100,000 from the Boeing Co.
Learn More About Cougars
Cougars can be found throughout the Americas. They are the largest wild cat in North America. Male cougars can inhabit territories from as little as 10 square miles to 500 square miles.
The cougar preys on ungulates (elk, deer, caribou), but will also eat porcupine, squirrels, muskrats, coyote, beaver, raccoon, skunk, bobcats, rabbits, snails, fish and domestic livestock.
Resources:
- Feature Image: Irvine Ranch Conservancy
- Los Angeles Times: As Southern California cougars near “extinction vortex,’ a radical rescue plan emerges
- Scientific American: Highways Fragment Southern California Mountain Lion Gene Pool
- U.S. News: California Cougars at Risk for Extinction
- EurekAlert: Local extinction of Southern California mountain lions possible within 50 years
- List of Big Cats
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