Officials Condemn Kill Order For Santa Monica Mountain Lion
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A kill order for the mountain lion known as P-45 has environmentalists, state and federal officials across Southern California in an uproar.
P-45 is believed to have killed 11 alpacas and a goat last weekend, prompting the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a so-called depredation order, which under state law grants a person the right to shoot a mountain lion if it has been killing livestock or pets.
"Eliminating P-45 does not solve the problem, especially given there are at least four mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains that have killed livestock over the past year," Kate Kuykendall, acting deputy superintendent for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, said in a statement. "Nor is P-45's behavior abnormal or aberrant in any way."
The only long-term solution to keeping the big cats in the wild around Los Angeles at bay is to erect mountain lion-proof enclosures for pets and livestock, according to the National Park Service.
State Senator-elect Henry Stern, who will represent the region after being sworn in Dec. 5, said he will call on state game wardens to find a solution other than the cat's death.
The National Wildlife Federation, whose Save L.A. Cougars campaign is working with state and federal agencies to save the Santa Monica Mountains cats, has offered to pay for livestock protection for the rancher. The safeguard measures include secured pens, guard dogs and outdoors lights.
The California Department of Fish & Wildlife, National Park Service and the Mountain Lion Foundation will hold a workshop Wednesday night in Agoura Hills to offer information about the local lion mountain population and methods for safeguarding animals. The workshop is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Paramount Ranch, 2903 Cornell Road.
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