Our Wild World

The protected Mountain lions in California live in highly fragmented habitats, where sport hunting is illegal. Yet lions are legally killed with depredation permits, easily obtained for killing pets or livestock. Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Director of Living with Lions, Dr. Quinton Martins, leads community lion conservation programs in the North Bay. What we learn is, depredation isn’t ‘problem lion’ behavior, as all lions will take the opportunity to kill unsecured potential prey, therefore, removing the lion does not solve the problems. With a strong outreach program, Living with Lions educates locals and hobby farmers to be proactive in prevention of lion conflicts, using creative methods he devised while observing and conserving leopards in South Africa, that lead to zero depredation. Conservation solutions are about people. We have to do things differently, as coexisting with our iconic lions translates into maintaining functioning ecosystems, which is essential for us all.