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California Mountain Lion Public Safety Bill. Senate Bill 132 Signed into Law!

Thanks to all of you, landmark lion protection legislation became a reality today when California Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 132.

This is a first-of-its-kind piece of legislation built on decades of scientific knowledge to define exactly what “imminent threat to public health and safety” means in regard to mountain lions.  It requires the use of nonlethal procedures for dealing with those lions that come into contact with humans, yet do not meet the threshold of imminent threat.

SB 132 also gives the California Department of Fish and Wildlife the authority to partner with qualified individuals and NGOs to assist them in carrying out these new duties.

Click here for detailed information about the bill.

Other Wildlife

It may seem like the only wildlife living in Mammoth are bears, but really the bears are just at the top of the pyramid because they get the most attention. With the bears, Mammoth is co-existing with a critter that people have always feared. Living in a remote, “village in the trees,” however, Steve also receives regular calls for raccoons, coyotes, cougars, bobcats, deer, raptors, and more in his role as the Town’s Wildlife Specialist.

“We just roll this way,” Steve says. “We are a nice, co-existing community and we are nice to all the animals.” He pointed out that people are overly nice even when one of their pets get killed by these animals because they know the wildlife was here first.

1-Karma2_smallIt is important to remember, if visiting Mammoth Lakes, that all of the animals mentioned here are wild. That means the town’s motto of “Don’t feed our bears” also extends to the other wildlife and is actually overarching “Don’t feed our wildlife.” If you see any type of wild animal, feel free to enjoy its presence and perhaps snap a photo, but don’t antagonize the animal or try to feed it. If you feel threatened by the animal, or see it behaving badly, call Steve at 760.937.BEAR.

Photos: Courtesy of Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care