Thanks to early efforts of the Mountain Lion Foundation, the recreational hunting of lions is prohibited in California. Our aim in this state is to improve mountain lion policy in the state legislature, through the Fish and Game Commission, county by county, in cities, towns and neighborhoods. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has established the most science-based lion conservation policy in the country, but there is always more to do.
Learn more about mountain lion policy, laws, history and current action opportunities.
Update 4/18/2025: SB 818 would require sale of a recreational permit to chase mountain lions with hounds in the heart of the Sierras. Join us and raise your voice for our mountain lions.
Update 4/18/2025: SB 818 will have a committee hearing on the morning of April 22. Join us at the State Capitol bright and early. Tell the legislature to protect our mountain lions.
As of March 2023, California is considering prioritizing statewide connectivity with an update report identifying critical locations with barriers in need of connectivity projects. 62 locations were identified, with 12 being identified as the highest priority. This is great news for mountain lions in California as lack of genetic connectivity is many of their population’s greatest threat. With the Wallis Annenberg Crossing across the 101 as a model we can move forward with projects that improve connectivity and preserve biodiversity across the state.
Estimated population: 4,000 – 6,000 (likely an overestimation)
Annual trophy kills: 0
On June 25, 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Mountain Lion Foundation formally petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to protect mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The petition is seeking protections for gravely imperiled cougar populations in Southern California and on the Central Coast, including the Eastern Peninsular Range, Santa Ana Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, and north along the coast to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Some Southern California lion populations could disappear in little more than a decade, according to a March 2019 study . Researchers at UC Davis, UCLA, and with the National Park Service predicted that if inbreeding depression occurs, the Santa Ana population could go extinct within 12 years and the Santa Monica population within 15.
Mountain lion field research and population estimates have come a long way in the last few decades. Most biologists now agree on an average lion population density of 1.7 lions per 100 sq km of status. In California (~185,000 sq km of status), that equates to approximately 3,100 resident mountain lions for the entire state.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has established a mountain lion (Puma concolor) conservation program to coordinate mountain lion research and population monitoring, and to inform wildlife management in general across the state. In particular, the immediate focus of this program is to conduct a population inventory of mountain lions across the state.
In 2012, Marc Kenyon, CDFW’s former Bear and Lion Coordinator, gave credence to that estimate when he stated that California’s lion ” population size is, in fact, smaller than it was 10 years ago.” He attributed this decrease to dwindling lion status and the hunting policies in surrounding states. He estimated that California’s statewide lion population is be approximately 4,000 animals and dropping.
Unfortunately, statewide mountain lion population estimates cannot properly indicate the health of the species. According to noted lion researcher Dr. Rick Hopkins, ” It is important to keep in mind that no western state, including California, supports one cougar population. There are several populations in the state that react to changes in their environment independent of one another. It is unrealistic to assume that a statewide population of any species, let alone the cougar, is responding in a similar fashion at the same time. For example, the intense development pressure that the population of cougars is experiencing in Orange County is in no way relevant to what is happening in Humboldt County. “
On April 16, 2020 the California Fish and Game Commission voted 5-0 to advance Southern California and Central Coast mountain lions to candidacy under the state’s Endangered Species Act. The vote follows a February 2020 finding by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) that increased protections may be warranted.
The vote triggers a year-long review by CDFW to determine if these populations should be formally protected under the Act. The Act’s protections apply during the candidacy period.
“This is a historic moment for California’s big cats and rich biodiversity,” said Tiffany Yap, a biologist at the Center and primary author of the petition. “These ecosystem engineers face huge threats that could wipe out key populations. But with state protections, we can start reversing course to save our mountain lions. Wildlife officials deserve a big round of applause for moving to protect these amazing animals.”
Genetic isolation due to roads and development threatens the health of the six puma populations included in the petition. Despite a more than thirty-year ban on sport-hunting, some mountain lion populations have low survival rates due to high levels of human-caused mortalities. Major threats include car strikes, poisonings and sanctioned depredation kills.
Researchers with the National Park Service, UC Davis and UCLA warn that if nothing is done to improve connectivity for these wide-ranging large carnivores, populations in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica mountains could go extinct within 50 years. And those in the Santa Cruz, San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains are showing similar patterns.
“We’re grateful to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for their efforts and proud of the commission’s leadership to protect California’s mountain lions,” said Debra Chase, CEO of the Mountain Lion Foundation. “By advancing these mountain lion populations to candidacy, they are helping to ensure that these iconic cats inspire future generations.”
State protections under the Act will help address the many threats these lions face. Local authorities will need to coordinate with state wildlife experts to ensure that approved development projects account for mountain lion connectivity.
State agencies also will have a legal mandate to protect mountain lions. This could include building wildlife crossings over existing freeways; crossings have been shown to help maintain wildlife movement and reduce costly and dangerous wildlife-vehicle collisions.
State officials will also need to re-evaluate the use of deadly rat poisons in mountain lion habitat.
And the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be able to develop and implement a mountain lion recovery plan to help facilitate coexistence with mountain lions.
On February 6, 2020 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife submitted their completed evaluation of the petition to the California Fish and Game Commission stating: “…the Department has determined there is sufficient scientific information available at this time to indicate the petitioned action may be warranted. The Department recommends the Petition be accepted and considered.”
This recommendation will be heard on the California Fish and Game Commission Consent Calendar as Item 7 on February 21, 2020. The Staff Summary can be found here: Staff Summary Item 7.
On June 25, 2019 the Mountain Lion Foundation and the Center for Biological Diversity formally petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to protect Southern and Central Coast mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act.
You can read the story here in the Los Angeles Times.
Over the past year, the Mountain Lion Foundation has heard from members across Southern California that their worries for the survival of local mountain lions are mounting. Your concerns were echoed in scientific research published in December 2018 and in March 2019 which showed the genetic isolation of Southern California’s cougar populations and predicted that if inbreeding depression occurs, the lions in the Santa Ana Mountains could go extinct within 12 years and those in the Santa Monica Mountains within 15 years.
We know that other populations are hurting too, because of our intense work within the community of Julian to slow lions being killed in San Diego county.
So now we are taking the next essential step to protect mountain lions throughout Southern California and up the Central Coast.
Tiffany Yap, a biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity and primary author of the petition, put it this way. “Our mountain lions are dying horrible deaths from car collisions and rat poison, and their populations are at risk from inbreeding too. Without a clear legal mandate to protect mountain lions from the threats that are killing them and hemming them in on all sides, these iconic wild cats will soon be gone from Southern California.
We are proud to partner with the Center as co-petitioners, and are glad to have their help as we embark on a long journey (up to two years!) to list the lion as threatened or endangered. We’ll need your help too, writing letters, signing petitions, and continuing your financial support of the Foundation so that we can further this work.
Under the California Endangered Species Act, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has three months to make an initial recommendation to the Fish and Game Commission, which will then take a first vote on the petition at a public hearing later this year. The department is requesting an additional 30 days to return their report, and moves us to the February 2020 meeting for consideration of candidacy.
Please take a look at the petition, which is an incredible summary of the threats facing Southern California mountain lions. And return to visit our landing page for the CESA campaign, which will be updated as we move through the listing process.
Our deep thanks to our members for making this important work possible. If you aren’t a member, please join today and be part of this historic process.
Historically, mountain lions were heavily persecuted in California. Classified as a “bountied predator” from 1907 to 1963, a record 12,462 mountain lions were killed (more than any other state) and turned in for the bounty. The bounty on California’s mountain lions was repealed in 1963, and the species was reclassified as a “non-protected mammal.”
In 1969, the state legislature again reclassified mountain lions as a “game mammal.” This action was undertaken to control supposed livestock damage and to “manage” mountain lions through regulated hunting.
In 1971 and 1972 California held its only regulated lion-hunting seasons, during which time 118 mountain lions were killed for sport.
In 1971, the state legislature passed new legislation, signed by then governor, Ronald Reagan which placed a moratorium on the sport hunting of mountain lions. The lion hunting moratorium, which started on March 1, 1972, was maintained until 1986 at which time the regulated hunting of mountain lions was once again authorized. Despite this authorization, political pressure from individual citizens and conservation organizations such as the Mountain Lion Foundation (MLF) kept lions from being hunted for sport in California over the next four years.
In 1990, a coalition of conservation organizations, including MLF, placed Proposition 117 — commonly known as the “mountain lion initiative” — on the statewide ballot. This proposition, the first to have been placed solely with signatures collected by volunteers in California, passed on June 5, 1990 with 52.42 percent of the vote. Officially known as the California Wildlife Protection Act, Proposition 117 reclassified mountain lions in California as a “specially protected mammal,” permanently banned the sport hunting of lions in the state, and allocated $30 million to be spent annually for 30 years on the acquisition of critical habitat for mountain lions, deer, oak woodlands, endangered species, riparian habitat, and other wildlife.
In 1996, trophy-hunting proponents got the state legislature to place Proposition 197 on the March primary ballot. Drafted in part by the Safari Club, this initiative was presented to voters under the guise of “public safety” concerns in an effort to overturn the ban on killing mountain lions for recreational purposes. Proposition 197 was overwhelmingly rejected by 58.12 percent of California’s voters.
Since the 1996 failure to repeal the State’s lion-hunting ban, there have been numerous unsuccessful attempts by lawmakers to introduce legislation that would overturn Proposition 117’s lion-hunting restrictions.
At this time, California has no formal management plan for mountain lions. State law requires California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to issue a depredation permit against any offending lion, if a resident requests one and there is proof that the mountain lion has preyed on or threatened domestic animals or private property. Mountain lions can also be killed at any time if deemed a threat to the public’s safety.
On September 6, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 132 into law. This groundbreaking legislation (effective January 1, 2014), protects lions that accidentally wander into human-populated areas. Law Enforcement and Wildlife Officers can only kill a lion if it is posing an imminent threat to human life: exhibiting aggressive behavior towards a person that is not due to the presence of first responders.
The new law (F&G Code 4801.5) also allows CDFW to partner with qualified individuals, educational institutions, government agencies, or nongovernmental organizations to implement nonlethal procedures on a mountain lion which include rescue and rehabilitation.
Assembly Bill (AB) 8 was first introduced in December of 2016. Since then, Assemblymember Richard Bloom and Mountain Lion Foundation have worked closely with the expert leadership at the CDFW to develop administrative alternatives to the legislation. As a result of these efforts, the CDFW has amended their Policy to provide additional protection to endangered mountain lion populations in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica mountains.
On June 25, 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Mountain Lion Foundation formally petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to protect mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The petition is seeking protections for gravely imperiled cougar populations in Southern California and on the Central Coast, including the Eastern Peninsular Range, Santa Ana Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, and north along the coast to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The state of California encompasses 155,959 square miles of land. Of this, an estimated 71,117 square miles, or 46 percent of the state is considered to be suitable mountain lion habitat. This habitat is distributed throughout the state except for the Central Valley and much of the southeastern deserts.
Since 1972, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) has claimed that there are approximately 4,000 to 6,000 lions residing in California. This rough estimate is based on what CDFG admits is only a “guesstimate”.
CDFG originally based their crude population estimate on a series of studies which estimated lion population densities for different habitat types around the state. These density estimates varied from zero to 10 lions per 100 square miles, and were simply extrapolated to accommodate the total amount of available habitat type.
Mountain lion field research and population estimates have come a long way in the last few decades. Most biologists now agree on an average lion population density of 1.7 lions per 100 sq km of habitat. In California (~185,000 sq km of habitat), that equates to approximately 3,100 resident mountain lions for the entire state.
Marc Kenyon, CDFG’s former Bear and Lion Coordinator, in 2012 gave credence to that estimate when he stated that California’s lion “population size is, in fact, smaller than it was 10 years ago.” He attributed this decrease to dwindling lion habitat and the hunting policies in surrounding states. He estimates California’s statewide lion population to be approximately 4,000 animals and dropping.
Unfortunately, statewide mountain lion population estimates cannot properly indicate the health of the species. According to noted lion researcher Dr. Rick Hopkins, “It is important to keep in mind that no western state, including California, supports one cougar population. There are several populations in the state that react to changes in their environment independent of one another. It is unrealistic to assume that a statewide population of any species, let alone the cougar, is responding in a similar fashion at the same time. For example, the intense development pressure that the population of cougars is experiencing in Orange County is in no way relevant to what is happening in Humboldt County.”
In California’s legal code, Puma concolor is generally referred to as “mountain lion.”
In California, mountain lions are currently classified as a specially protected mammal . The mountain lion is the only species in California with this designation, and at this time there is no directive explaining how specially protected mammals should be conserved.
Under California Fish and Game Code Section 3950.1 , which became law in 1990 through Proposition 117, the mountain lion “shall not be listed as, or considered to be, a game mammal by the department or the commission.” The mountain lion is also not included as a fully protected mammal , or nongame mammal in California.
Laws pertaining to California’s threatened and endangered species currently do not apply to the mountain lion because the species has not been listed, however, On June 25, 2019, the Mountain Lion Foundation and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition to list the mountain lion as a threatened or endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). If the mountain lion is eventually listed, the full process will take more than two years.
Generally, treatment of wildlife in the State of California is governed by the California Fish and Game Code and Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. Additionally, state and local agencies are subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under the Public Resources Code. Some federal laws also apply to California wildlife, but usually in conjunction with migratory birds or federally-listed endangered species. Since our summary below may not be completely up to date, you should be sure to review the most current laws and regulations for the State of California.
The California Fish and Game Code (state law) may be viewed online here. These statutes are searchable. Be sure to use the name “mountain lion” to accomplish your searches. The California Code of Regulations (state regulations), may be viewed online here, or click here to see every CCR section that mentions “mountain lion.”
The California State Legislature is the state’s legislative entity. It is a bicameral legislature. The upper chamber is the Senate while the Assembly is the lower chamber. The Senate has 40 members who serve 4-year terms. Twenty Senate seats are up for election during each two-year election cycle. The Assembly is made up of 80 members who serve 2-year terms.
In June 2012, voters passed Proposition 28 which allows members of either chamber to serve a maximum of 12 years total in the legislature. Legislators who were first elected on or before June 5, 2012 are limited to the previous term limits (under 1990’s Proposition 140) — three terms in the Assembly and two terms in the Senate.
California’s directory of Senators can be found here, and the directory of state Assemblymembers can be found here.
California’s legislature is in session year-round, and convenes on the first Monday in January, except when New Year’s Day (January 1) falls on a Sunday or Monday, in which case they meet the following Wednesday.
The Senate has been under Democratic majority continuously since 1970. With the exception of 1995 to 1996, the Assembly has been in Democratic hands since the 1970 as well. The Governor’s seat has alternated back and forth between republican and democrat during that time period.
California’s laws and regulations (explained above) set the framework for mountain lion treatment in the state. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) uses these official statues to frame their internal mountain lion policies and guidelines. CDFW is the agency responsible for mountain lion management in California.
CDFW is divided into four major divisions: administration, wildlife & fisheries, ecosystem conservation, and law enforcement. Mountain lion management falls under the wildlife and fisheries, and law enforcement divisions.
There are 7 CDFW regions in California. The Department is responsible for implementing and enforcing the regulations set by the Fish and Game Commission, as well as providing biological data and expertise to inform the Commission’s decision making process.
The California Fish and Game Commission was the first wildlife conservation agency in the United States, founded in 1870, predating even the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries. Their general regulations are outlined in the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 1 and Fish and Game Code Division 1. Their rule-making process must also be in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act. Today, the Commission oversees the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
CDFW annually reports to the California Fish and Game Commission (CFGC) on the status of California’s fish and wildlife resources with emphasis on those resources estimated to be at marginal or low levels. In accordance with CCR §660.1, “based upon the best scientific information, […] the Commission shall then prepare a report on the status of the State’s resources for presentation to the Senate Resources & Wildlife Committee and the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee.”
The California Fish and Game Commission has a wide range of responsibilities that continually expands and includes:
Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the California state Senate. They serve a six-year term that expires on January 15. After completing a term, Commissioners can be reappointed, or may continue to serve until the Governor appoints a replacement. The Commission must annually elect one of its members as President and one as Vice President.
The CFGC holds twelve meetings a year at various locations throughout the state to encourage public participation. Under the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act of 1967, which facilitates accountability and transparency of government activities and protects the rights of citizens to participate in State government deliberations, Commission meetings are open to the public.
In regards to mountain lions, (FGC §4807), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife “shall undertake a complete necropsy on any returned mountain lion carcass and report the findings to the commission. The commission shall compile the reported findings and prepare an annual written report that shall be submitted to the Legislature not later than the January 15 next following the year in which the mountain lion was taken.”
Historically, mountain lions were heavily persecuted in California, classified as a “bountied predator” from 1907 to 1963. During this time, a record 12,462 mountain lions were killed (more than any other state) and turned in for the bounty. The bounty on California’s mountain lions was repealed in 1963, and the species was reclassified as a “non-protected mammal.” In 1969, the state legislature again reclassified mountain lions as a “game mammal.” In 1971 and 1972 California held its only sport hunting seasons on mountain lions, during which time 118 lions were killed.
In 1971, the state legislature and Governor Ronald Reagan passed legislation which placed a moratorium on the sport hunting of mountain lions. The lion hunting moratorium started on March 1, 1972.
Hunting or trapping of mountain lions is not allowed in the State of California. Since Ronald Reagan’s moratorium in 1972, (made permanent by the passage of Proposition 117 in 1990), it has been unlawful to take (hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill), injure, possess, transport, import, or sell any mountain lion or any part or product thereof unless under specific circumstances for public safety, depredation, education, or research.
CCR §265 (3) states “Mountain lions may not be pursued with dogs except under the provisions of a depredation permit issued pursuant to §4803 of the Fish and Game Code. Bear or bobcat may not be pursued with dogs except under the provisions of a permit issued pursuant to sections 3960.2 or 3960.4 of the Fish and Game Code. Dog training on mountain lions is prohibited.”
A mountain lion may only be killed in California if it is posing an “imminent threat to public health or safety,” which is defined as “a situation where a mountain lion exhibits one or more aggressive behaviors directed toward a person that is not reasonably believed to be due to the presence of responders.”
Under FGC §4801.5 (which became law January 1, 2014 after the passage of Senate Bill 132), any situation where a mountain lion does not meet the threshold of imminent threat shall be handled with nonlethal procedures.
“Nonlethal procedures” means procedures that may include, but are not limited to, capturing, pursuing, anesthetizing, temporarily possessing, temporarily injuring, marking, attaching to or surgically implanting monitoring or recognition devices, providing veterinary care, transporting, hazing, rehabilitating, releasing, or taking no action.
Additionally, CDFW may, as the department determines is necessary to protect mountain lions or the public, authorize qualified individuals, educational institutions, governmental agencies, or nongovernmental organizations to implement nonlethal procedures on a mountain lion.
An individual is not guilty of a violation of this section if it is demonstrated that, in taking or injuring a mountain lion, the individual was acting in self-defense or in defense of others. Please see the Poaching section below for information about penalties for illegally killing a mountain lion in California.
The statute is further explained in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife policy titled Human / Wildlife Interactions in California: Mountain Lion Depredation, Public Safety, and Animal Welfare policy (2013) (PDF)
California’s mountain lion depredation laws are described in FGC §4802-4809, and CCR §402 and §265.
Under FGC §4802, “any person, or the employee or agent of a person, whose livestock or other property is being or has been injured, damaged, or destroyed by a mountain lion may report that fact to the department and request a permit to take the mountain lion.” Within 48 hours CDFW will investigate, and if “satisfied that there has been depredation by a mountain lion as reported, the department shall promptly issue a permit to take the depredating mountain lion” (FGC §4803).
A depredation permit to take a mountain lion expires 10 days after issuance, requires the permit holder begin pursuit of the lion not more than one mile from the depredation site, and limits the pursuit of the depredating mountain lion to within a 10-mile radius from the location of the reported damage or destruction. Additional depredation permit information and restrictions are described in CCR §402, and §265 allows the use of tracking dogs.
Any person issued a permit pursuant to Section 4803 or 4805 shall report, by telephone within 24 hours, the capturing, injuring, or killing of any mountain lion to an office of the department or, if telephoning is not practicable, in writing within five days after the capturing, injuring, or killing of the mountain lion. At the time of making the report of the capturing, injuring, or killing, the holder of the permit shall make arrangements to turn over the mountain lion or the entire carcass of the mountain lion which has been recovered to a representative of the department and shall do so in a timely manner.
A mountain lion caught in the act of attacking livestock or situations where “immediate authorization will materially assist in the pursuit of the particular mountain lion believed to be responsible for the depredation reported pursuant to §4802, the department or the animal damage control officer may orally authorize the pursuit and taking of the depredating mountain lion, and the department shall issue a written permit for the period previously authorized as soon as practicable after the oral authorization.”
FGC §4809 specifies mountain lions authorized to be taken for causing damage or destruction shall be taken by the most effective means available, except that no mountain lion shall be taken by means of poison, leg-hold or metal-jawed traps, and snares.
CDFW is also required to undertake a complete necropsy on any returned mountain lion carcass and report the findings to the commission. These findings are to be included in an annual written report that shall be submitted to the Legislature by January 15. Past reports do not appear to be easily accessible online. CDFW’s depredation information is available on the mountain lion page of their website. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services agency is contracted in most California counties to kill lions under depredation permits. Wildlife Services’ records are available online, here. Scroll down and click on the pie chart under the “Animals Dispersed / illed or Euthanized / Freed” section, then in the dropdown menu select “California” to the see the number of mountain lions and other wildlife killed annually by Wildlife Services.
For most of California, if a depredation is confirmed, the local agency personnel will issue a lethal take permit to kill a mountain lion. There are currently three exceptions to this policy, the Santa Monica and Santa Ana Mountains, and if a property owner “opts in” to the new policy outside of those areas. Local research on mountain lions in these areas revealed that these two populations have become dangerously isolated and that we must take steps to preserve important genetic diversity if we are to avoid population collapse and possible extirpation. In recognition of these facts, CDFW is now providing depredation permits for landowners to use preventative tools rather than issuing lethal removal permits at the onset. This approach should provide much needed relief the local mountain lions and livestock alike!
The new 3 step policy was the result of a series of events following depredations in the Santa Monica Mountains. Assembly Member Richard Bloom authored legislation to change California depredation law, but the director of the California Department of Fish and WIldlife, Charlton Bonham, stepped in to say that the same result might be achieved by a gradual change in policy related to the broad definition of the word “take” in statute. The result is further explained in the 2017 Amendment to California Department of Fish and Wildlife policy titled Amendment to the Human / Wildlife Interactions in California: Mountain Lion Depredation, Public Safety, and Animal Welfare policy (2017) (PDF)
Mountain lion research in California is authorized under FGC §4810 and permitted through the Scientific Collecting Permit process.
To qualify for a mountain lion scientific collecting permit, a project must be designed to:
Researchers are allowed to pursue, capture, temporarily possess, mark, attach to or surgically implant monitoring or recognition devices in, and provide veterinary care to mountain lions. They must follow the reporting guidelines outlined in §4810(e).
CDFW shall notify the public at least 30 days prior to the issuance of a permit, and, upon request, shall make available to the public copies of the permit and annual and final reports.
Any mountain lion killed during a research project must be turned over to CDFW for a complete necropsy and included in the Commissions annual report to the Legislature.
Currently approved research projects are listed here. And any proposed research projects that are in the 30-day public review period can be found here.
Additional information and research application links are available on CDFW’s mountain lion research permitting webpage. A handful of published studies can be found on their mountain lion research publications page. Long-term studies have taken place in the Santa Ana Mountains and Santa Monica Mountains. More recent studies are also being conducted throughout the state.
It is unlawful to possess a mountain lion carcass, part, or product in California unless one of the following circumstances are met:
According to CCR §251.5 (b), “Live mountain lions may be possessed only under terms of a permit issued by the Department pursuant to section 2150 of the Fish and Game Code or if the owner can demonstrate that the mountain lion was in his/her possession on or before June 6, 1990 under a permit issued pursuant to section 3200 of said code.
CCR §671-671.9 describe the regulations for importation, transportation, and possession of live restricted animals in California.
Mountain lion rescue and rehabilitation became legal in California on January 1, 2014. Laws pertaining to wildlife rehabilitation in California are generally listed under CCR §679.
Mountain lion researchers with a valid Scientific Collecting Permit, in accordance with §4810 may also temporarily possess live mountain lions. And an individual or organization partnering with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement nonlethal procedures on a mountain lion to resolve a potential pubic safety threat (§4801.5) may also be allowed to temporarily possess a live lion.
While historic native prey for mountain lions, declines in Bighorn sheep populations have led to a debate over lethally removing mountain lions to increase the size of sheep herds. Under California state law, Fish and Game Code §4801, CDFW “may remove or take any mountain lion, or authorize an appropriate local agency with public safety responsibility to remove or take any mountain lion, […] that is perceived by the department to be an imminent threat to the survival of any threatened, endangered, candidate, or fully protected sheep species.”
A Legislative Counsel opinion released in 2011 clarified that Federal contract hunters employed by CDFW must follow state law and not use poison, snares, leg-hold or metal-jawed traps to kill mountain lions, even when the lions pose a threat to Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep.
Desert bighorn sheep that are not endangered may be sport hunted in specific areas.
California state law provides some protection of mountain lions, but only as a deterrent. It is rare for penalties to be sufficiently harsh to keep poachers from poaching again. Violating FGC §4800-4810 or killing a mountain lion is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment. An individual is not guilty of a violation of this section if it is demonstrated that, in taking or injuring a mountain lion, the individual was acting in self-defense or in defense of others.
The California Department of Transportation does not keep records of mountain lions killed on the State’s roads. The UC Davis Road Ecology Center researches wildlife road killings in the California, but relies on the public to voluntarily report roadkill observations.
as of March 2014
California Code
Fish and Game Code
General Provisions and Definitions
Division 4: Birds and Mammals
Part 3: Mammals
Chapter 10: Mountain Lions
(a) The mountain lion (genus Puma) is a specially protected mammal under the laws of this state.
(b) (1) It is unlawful to take, injure, possess, transport, import, or sell any mountain lion or any part or product thereof, except as specifically provided in this chapter or in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2116) of Division 3.
(2) This chapter does not prohibit the sale or possession of any mountain lion or any part or product thereof, when the owner can demonstrate that the mountain lion, or part or product thereof, was in the person’s possession on June 6, 1990.
(3) This chapter does not prohibit the possession of a mountain lion carcass or any part or product of a mountain lion carcass, if all of the following requirements are met:
(A) The carcass or carcass part or product is prepared or being prepared for display, exhibition, or storage, for a bona fide scientific or educational purpose, at a nonprofit museum or government-owned facility generally open to the public or at an educational institution, including a public or private postsecondary institution.
(B) The mountain lion was taken in California consistent with the requirements of this chapter and any other applicable law.
(C) The department has authorized the possession of the carcass or carcass part or product for the purposes of this paragraph.
(c) Any violation of this section is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment. An individual is not guilty of a violation of this section if it is demonstrated that, in taking or injuring a mountain lion, the individual was acting in self-defense or in defense of others.
(d) Section 219 does not apply to this chapter. Neither the commission nor the department shall adopt any regulation that conflicts with or supersedes any of the provisions of this chapter.
The department may remove or take any mountain lion, or authorize an appropriate local agency with public safety responsibility to remove or take any mountain lion, that is perceived to be an imminent threat to public health or safety or that is perceived by the department to be an imminent threat to the survival of any threatened, endangered, candidate, or fully protected sheep species.
(a) Unless authorized in this chapter, nonlethal procedures shall be used when removing or taking any mountain lion that has not been designated as an imminent threat to public health or safety.
(b) For purposes of this chapter, “imminent threat to public health or safety” means a situation where a mountain lion exhibits one or more aggressive behaviors directed toward a person that is not reasonably believed to be due to the presence of responders.
(c) For purposes of this chapter, “nonlethal procedures” means procedures that may include, but are not limited to, capturing, pursuing, anesthetizing, temporarily possessing, temporarily injuring, marking, attaching to or surgically implanting monitoring or recognition devices, providing veterinary care, transporting, hazing, rehabilitating, releasing, or taking no action.
(d) The department may, as the department determines is necessary to protect mountain lions or the public, authorize qualified individuals, educational institutions, governmental agencies, or nongovernmental organizations to implement nonlethal procedures on a mountain lion in accordance with subdivision (a).
Any person, or the employee or agent of a person, whose livestock or other property is being or has been injured, damaged, or destroyed by a mountain lion may report that fact to the department and request a permit to take the mountain lion.
Upon receipt of a report pursuant to Section 4802, the department, or any animal damage control officer specifically authorized by the department to carry out this responsibility, shall immediately take the action necessary to confirm that there has been depredation by a mountain lion as reported. The confirmation process shall be completed as quickly as possible, but in no event more than 48 hours after receiving the report. If satisfied that there has been depredation by a mountain lion as reported, the department shall promptly issue a permit to take the depredating mountain lion.
In order to ensure that only the depredating mountain lion will be taken, the department shall issue the permit pursuant to Section 4803 with the following conditions attached:
(a) The permit shall expire 10 days after issuance.
(b) The permit shall authorize the holder to begin pursuit not more than one mile from the depredation site.
(c) The permit shall limit the pursuit of the depredating mountain lion to within a 10-mile radius from the location of the reported damage or destruction.
Whenever immediate authorization will materially assist in the pursuit of the particular mountain lion believed to be responsible for the depredation reported pursuant to Section 4802, the department or the animal damage control officer may orally authorize the pursuit and taking of the depredating mountain lion, and the department shall issue a written permit for the period previously authorized as soon as practicable after the oral authorization.
Any person issued a permit pursuant to Section 4803 or 4805 shall report, by telephone within 24 hours, the capturing, injuring, or killing of any mountain lion to an office of the department or, if telephoning is not practicable, in writing within five days after the capturing, injuring, or killing of the mountain lion. At the time of making the report of the capturing, injuring, or killing, the holder of the permit shall make arrangements to turn over the mountain lion or the entire carcass of the mountain lion which has been recovered to a representative of the department and shall do so in a timely manner.
(a) Any mountain lion that is encountered while in the act of pursuing, inflicting injury to, or killing livestock, or domestic animals, may be taken immediately by the owner of the property or the owner’s employee or agent. The taking shall be reported within 72 hours to the department. The department shall investigate the depredation, and, if the mountain lion was captured, injured, or killed, the mountain lion or the entire carcass of the mountain lion which has been recovered shall be turned over to the department. Upon satisfactorily completing the investigation and receiving the mountain lion or the carcass, if recovered, the department shall issue a permit confirming that the requirements of this section have been met with respect to the particular mountain lion taken under these circumstances.
(b) The department shall undertake a complete necropsy on any returned mountain lion carcass and report the findings to the commission. The commission shall compile the reported findings and prepare an annual written report that shall be submitted to the Legislature not later than the January 15 next following the year in which the mountain lion was taken.
As used in this chapter, “agent” means the agent or employee of the owner of the damaged or destroyed property, any county or city predator control officer, any employee of the Animal Damage Control Section of the United States Department of Agriculture, any departmental personnel, or any authorized or permitted houndsman registered with the department as possessing the requisite experience and having no prior conviction of any provision of this code or regulation adopted pursuant to this code. A plea of nolo contendere is a conviction for purposes of this section.
Mountain lions authorized to be taken pursuant to this chapter shall be taken by the most effective means available to take the mountain lion causing the damage or destruction, except that no mountain lion shall be taken by means of poison, leg-hold or metal-jawed traps, and snares.
(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Authorized research project” means a research project involving mountain lions subject to a Scientific Collecting Permit issued in accordance with this section.
(2) “Permitholder” means a person to whom the department has issued a Scientific Collecting Permit in accordance with this section.
(3) “Scientific Collecting Permit” or “permit” means a permit issued pursuant to Section 1002 for a research project involving mountain lions in accordance with this section.
(b) The department may authorize qualified individuals, educational institutions, governmental agencies, or nongovernmental organizations to conduct scientific research involving mountain lions pursuant to a Scientific Collecting Permit as provided in Section 1002.
(c) The department may authorize permitholders to pursue, capture, temporarily possess, temporarily injure, mark, attach to or surgically implant monitoring or recognition devices in, provide veterinary care to, and transport, mountain lions, or any part or product of a mountain lion.
(d) In addition to the requirements in Section 1002, an authorized research project shall be designed to do the following:
(1) Contribute to the knowledge of natural wildlife ecosystems.
(2) Minimize disruptions in the lives and movements of mountain lions and other wildlife, as well as impacts to mountain lion or other wildlife habitat, while maintaining the permitholder’s research objectives.
(3) Directly or indirectly support the sustainability and survival of mountain lion populations and healthy ecosystems.
(4) Prevent the permanent injury or killing of any mountain lion.
(e) An authorized research project shall be governed by the Scientific Collecting Permit. The permit shall include, at a minimum, proposed research methods and recordkeeping procedures that address the following:
(1) The capture of, anesthetization of, collection of diagnostic samples from, and transport of, mountain lions or parts and products thereof, and the attaching to or surgically implanting monitoring or recognization devices or markings in, and providing veterinary care as required for the health, safety, and humane treatment of, animals affected by the research project.
(2) The recording of the adverse effects of authorized research procedures on mountain lions and other wildlife.
(3) The qualifications of onsite personnel necessary for carrying out authorized research procedures. A permit applicant shall submit verifiable documentation demonstrating that at least one onsite staff person has at least one year of experience in proposed research methods that involve activities described in subdivision (c).
(4) Annual and final reports to the department.
(f) The department shall notify the public at least 30 days prior to the issuance of a permit, and, upon request, shall make available to the public copies of the permit and annual and final reports.
(g) The department shall handle any mortality or permanent injury to a mountain lion as a result of research authorized pursuant to this section in a manner consistent with the reporting and processing requirements imposed in Section 4807.
This interactive story map provides an overview about what happens when mountain lions prey on pets or livestock in California and includes depredation permits issued and filled by year. Permit data provided by California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Click on each of the tabs within the application to learn more. You can click on counties for more information.
California Fish and Game Code 4800-4810 – Mountain Lions – January 2014
California Fish and Wildlife’s Mountain Lion Interaction Guidelines – March 2013
California SB 132 MLF Letter of Support
California Senate Bill 132 – Mountain Lion Public Safety – Sen. Jerry Hill 2013
California CDFG Public Safety Wildlife Guidelines 2072 – INACTIVE
After the Hunt: Challenges Facing California’s Mountain Lion
California – 1990- June 5 Primary – Statement of Vote
California 1996-March 26 Primary – Statement of Vote
California 2008 Mountain Lion Status Report – Proceedings from the 9th Mountain Lion Workshop
California – Human Population Projections 2005-2020
California – Public Safety Kills
California – CA SB769 MLF Letter of Support
California – Verified Mountain Lion Attacks on Humans
Community Conservation of California Mountain Lions
California SB 1221 MLF Letter of Support
America’s Lion Biology & Behavior Poster 11″x17″ – California
Why You Should Oppose the Closure of California’s State Game Refuges
Mountain Lion Foundation Comment on Proposed Closure of California Game Refuges
Brochure: Preventing Conflicts with Mountain Lions in California
