Los Angeles, CA –The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is allowing mountain lions in the Eastern Sierras, a protected species, to be euthanized to protect bighorn sheep, an endangered species. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) responds with grave concern to the politics of the decision.

The California Wildlife Protection Act (Proposition 117), passed by voters in 1990, established mountain lions as a specially protected species with some exemptions, including the taking of mountain lions to protect federally listed bighorn sheep populations. Until recently, rather than euthanizing errant mountain lions making a snack of bighorn sheep in the Eastern Sierras, CDFW was relocating the mountain lions. Additionally, in 2013, the Fish and Game Code was amended to require non-lethal methods, only, to remove a mountain lion unless there was a health or public safety danger, thus reiterating and confirming the protections of the Act.

“The question is, how long has California Fish and Wildlife been employing lethal force on this particular mountain lion population,” said Madeline Bernstein, spcaLA President. “How long will this continue? Why is California Fish and Wildlife quietly doing this? Was there a study showing this course of action to be necessary? More investigation is needed to justify lethal force.”

Further, spcaLA contends that Proposition 117 was voted on and passed by the people. Reversing the course of that legislation should require more than a wave of the hand and should be in view of the public. At minimum, decisions should be made with the support of science.

Just today, CDFW recommended “threatened species protections” for several mountain lion populations in Southern California and the Central Coast to state commissioners. No such luck for the mountain lions of the Eastern Sierras.