Coexistence Navigation:
What Is Coexistence?
On The Range
At The Homestead
In Your Backyard
On The Trail
Respecting Grazing Operations
For Pet Owners

Living with Mountain Lions: A Future of Coexistence

For as long as people have lived in the Americas, they have shared the landscape with mountain lions. These powerful and elusive cats have always been part of our story—sometimes feared, too often persecuted, but always deserving of respect. Today, communities and wildlife agencies across the United States are rediscovering what Indigenous peoples and early stewards long understood: coexistence is possible, and it’s essential.

At the Mountain Lion Foundation, we work to make coexistence real—through education, science-based advocacy, and practical tools that help people, pets, livestock, and lions live safely together.

Coexistence means recognizing that the wild doesn’t stop where our neighborhoods begin. It’s our responsibility to create safe boundaries when we live and build in mountain lion country.

Coexistence means taking proactive steps to protect ourselves, our animals, and our landscapes—using prevention and understanding instead of fear or violence.  When we coexist, everyone benefits. Mountain lions can live and hunt as nature intended. People and their animals stay safer. And the ecosystems that sustain us all remain in balance.

The Mountain Lion Foundation offers detailed, science-based guidance for fostering peaceful coexistence—from securing livestock to preventing close encounters. As new research and tools emerge, we continually update our resources to share the most effective solutions.If you have questions, ideas, or need support in your community, we welcome you to contact our team. Together, we can build a future where people and mountain lions thrive—side by side.

• Ranchers looking for guidance on effective deterrents, shelters, and guardian dogs can learn more from our On The Range resource page.
• Small livestock owners may find valuable guidance in the general ranching advice, but face unique challenges in preventing depredations. We have prepared additional suggestions for those with smaller numbers of livestock in our At The Homestead resource page.
• Homeowners seeking advice on keeping their yards safe can learn about wildlife-safe landscaping at the In Your Backyard resource page.
• Pet owners interested in keeping their companions safe at home and on walks can learn more at our resource page For Pet Owners.
• People concerned about hiking and other outdoor recreation in mountain lion country can find simple safety tips on our On The Trail page.
• We have additional resources for people living near livestock and agricultural operations which may attract wild carnivores as well. There is useful information about being a good neighbor to managed grazing on our Respecting Grazing Operations page.