1,400 Mountain Lions in California Just Got a Second Chance

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Quick shot

• this California Fish and Game committee A unanimous vote to protect certain cougar populations in the Golden State.

• Six isolated subpopulations Mountain lions in California are now considered threatened under the state’s Endangered Species Act.

• inbreeding has become a big problem mountain lions in southern california because habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.

• if not Vote to save mountain lionsthey are most likely regional extinction in the next 50 years.

Mountain lions living in central and southern California have faced significant challenges over the past few decades. According to the California Fish and Game Commission, the biggest threats to mountain lions are “habitat loss and isolation of small populations.” As a result, according to the commission, mountain lions have a 16 to 21 percent chance of becoming extinct in much of California without changes to conservation measures.

Based on this information, the committee plans to hold a vote between February 11 and 12. If the vote passes, mountain lions would be protected under California’s Endangered Species Act. A failed vote means mountain lions in the central and southern parts of the state will remain at significant risk of regional extinction. The Mountain Lions faced a critical vote in California, and luckily, they prevailed.

Key vote confirms California Mountain Lions win

The vote count is complete and mountain lions in California will get more protections in a move aimed at preventing the extinction of feral cats in much of the state.

On February 12, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to protect mountain lions in the Central Coast and Southern California regions under the California Endangered Species Act. These mountain lions are threatened for a variety of reasons, including habitat fragmentation and relocation of mature individuals. Listing them as threatened is intended to give the area’s estimated 1,400 cougars a chance to rebound.

Mountain lion populations in California have been declining for decades. Currently, there are an estimated 3,200 to 4,100 mountain lions. One-half to one-third of that is in central and southern California. So a petition was filed in 2019 calling for more protection for mountain lions in these parts of the state. The petition prompted a review by the California Fish and Game Commission, which took several years to complete.

It wasn’t until December 2025 that the California Fish and Game Commission recommended expanding protections for mountain lions in central and southern California under the state’s Endangered Species Act. The recommendations are open for public comment. Most comments were in favor of the recommendation, which likely played a role in the vote.

Although mountain lions are not listed as an endangered species, their threatened status requires greater consideration for projects that encroach on their territory. This has led to resistance from homebuilding companies, who believe expansion will be more difficult. But with the recent sighting of a mountain lion on the streets of San Francisco, the rare incident highlights the challenges mountain lions face as their habitats become increasingly fragmented. The California Fish and Game Commission agreed, and now the goal is to prevent the regional extinction of mountain lions in much of the state.

Are cougars protected before the vote?

Mountain lions in central and southern California have long been protected from hunting thanks to the California Wildlife Conservation Act of 1990. Under the bill, mountain lions cannot be used as trophy animals. However, the bill states that mountain lions may be killed if people or livestock are threatened.

Over the past few decades, cougars have been euthanized if they returned to areas where they once targeted livestock or were deemed a threat to humans. Between this attack and the vehicle attack, the population dropped dramatically. So while mountain lions are not considered big game by hunters, they are not considered a fully protected species either. Now that the vote has passed, six groups of mountain lions in the Central Coast and Southern California regions are considered threatened and receive increased protections under the state’s Endangered Species Act.

Threats to mountain lions

Mountain lions may receive greater protections under the Endangered Species Act, but that doesn’t change the reality that they still face significant threats to their survival. Being classified as threatened does not eliminate these threats, but it does highlight the causes of population decline in central and southern California. In doing so, it brings awareness to the plight of mountain lions and what can be done to save them. The greatest threats to mountain lions today include:

Mountain lions also face euthanasia if they cause harm to livestock, other domestic animals or humans.

“It’s unfortunate that mountain lions have such a widespread problem and face so many different threats,” Tiffany Yap, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, told KCBX. “Roads and development still continue to destroy the landscape, leading to the isolation of genetic populations. We are still seeing high levels of human-caused mortality.”

This is an important first step in providing more protection for California mountain lions. But until the threat is removed and mountain lions can move more freely within their territory, they’re not out of the woods yet.

Inbreeding is a real threat to California mountain lions

Due to habitat loss and fragmentation in central and southern California, mountain lions in the region are threatened with local extinction due to inbreeding. Mountain lions have inherited genes that give them shapeshifting, and without the protections they received this week as a threatened species, the chances of survival for mountain lions in the south-central part of the state look slim.

A 2022 study reports that mountain lions in Southern California exhibit significant inbreeding. From a curved tail to a “93 percent abnormal sperm rate” and a variety of testicle sizes, the effects of isolation from the rest of the cougar population are taking their toll. Audra Huffmeyer, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study, said that if no changes are made, there will be no mountain lions in the area.

“If we don’t do anything to increase genetic diversity, the end is near,” Hefmeier explained to the National Park Service. “That sounds dramatic, but that’s what we’re seeing.”

Now, with more protection, mountain lions are expected to roam more freely and thus become more genetically diverse.

How is California protecting mountain lions?

Protecting cougars under California’s Endangered Species Act is far from the only measure the Golden State is taking to protect cougars. Because cougars live in limited territories, several measures have been taken in recent years to help cougars travel safely between areas.

Ways California can protect cougars include:

• Enforcement of the Roaming Room Act

• Ban on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides

By adding these protections, mountain lions can increase their numbers while reducing the risk of inbreeding and the likelihood of being struck by vehicles as they expand their territories.

With a large portion of California’s cougars now receiving additional protections from the California Fish and Game Commission, this keystone species is finally seeing a glimmer of hope. While change won’t happen overnight, there are reasons to celebrate. Mountain lions now have a chance of survival that seemed impossible just a few years ago.

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