Mountain Lions of California Are Being Killed on Roads Quicker Than They Can Reproduce

Have you ever ever heard of P-22, the legendary mountain lion who roamed the hills of Los Angeles for over a decade? Sadly, this lovely huge cat met his premature demise after being hit by a automobile and located injured in a yard.

This heart-wrenching story isn’t an remoted incident in California, because the state has seen a gradual toll of mountain lions being killed on its highways. Within the final eight years, there have been 535 reported instances of mountain lions killed on California roads – a charge of 1 to 2 every week.

This has raised considerations that the speed of mountain lions being killed by automobiles could also be surpassing their reproductive charge, resulting in more and more remoted and inbred populations.

In keeping with Fraser Shilling, Director of the Street Ecology Heart at UC Davis, the “undisputed capital of freeways and automotive tradition” in Southern California is a lifeless finish for mountain lions.

The info collected from CHP, Caltrans, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and UC scientists, was merged right into a geographic info system to supply a statewide map of deadly collisions between 2015 and 2022.

Nearly all of the strikes have been discovered alongside stretches of highways and freeways that attain past main inhabitants facilities, together with Southern California, the Bay Space, Central Coast, and the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada vary.

The excellent news is that the annual variety of roadkills involving mountain lions has proven a slight downward pattern, whereas the quantity of car site visitors stays unchanged. As an illustration, in 2022, 77 mountain lions have been killed by autos, in comparison with 92 in 2017. This might recommend that because the variety of mountain lions decreases in a given space, the chance of a collision decreases. Nevertheless, each time a mountain lion dies on the street, it’s a tragedy.

Car strikes, city encroachment, rat poison, inbreeding, and wildfires are contributing to what scientists name an “extinction vortex.” There’s a 1 in 4 probability that mountain lions might turn out to be extinct within the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountains inside the subsequent 50 years.

To deal with this challenge, California is taking motion. The Division of Fish and Wildlife is working to establish and prioritize wildlife motion limitations and develop plans for wildlife crossings. One instance is the $87 million undertaking at present beneath development over a 10-lane stretch of the 101 Freeway close to Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills. Different harmful stretches embody I-5 over the Tehachapi Mountains, I-15 close to Temecula, State Route 91 in Orange County, State Route 74 by way of Santa Rosa Mountains, and I-8 in San Diego County.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Protected Roads and Wildlife Safety Act into regulation, which obtained bipartisan help and requires Caltrans to establish limitations to wildlife motion and prioritize crossing constructions when constructing or bettering roads. It is a step in the correct route, however extra must be finished to guard these lovely creatures from turning into roadkill.

It’s time for us to take motion and assist save California’s mountain lions. We are able to begin by slowing down and being extra cautious when driving, particularly in areas identified for wildlife crossings.

We are able to additionally help wildlife conservation organizations and advocate for insurance policies that prioritize the safety of wildlife. Collectively, we will make a distinction and be certain that mountain lions, like P-22, can roam freely and thrive of their pure habitats.

This text by Nicholas Vincent was first revealed by OneGreenPlanet on 6 February 2023. 

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