Killing the Big Cats

The mountain lion has made a comeback in California since 1963, when the state Legislature ended 56 years of bounty hunting for the big cat. The lion population has grown from an estimated 2,400 to somewhere between 4,000 and 5,500 in the intervening years. The lion is a loner and a roamer, so an accurate census is difficult to get.

Now the campaign to kill lions is under way again--basically at the behest of ranchers who claim that stock losses, mostly sheep, have risen to intolerable levels.

The California Fish and Game Commission recently approved the killing of five lions in the Foresthill Ridge area of Placer County to thin out the predator population before 1,800 sheep are driven to summer mountain pastures. Three cats were killed before the hunt was stopped in response to a suit brought by humane societies. Normally the killing of the big cats is permitted only if they are caught during an attack or immediately thereafter.

The commission authorized the lion hunt on the basis of statistics indicating that sheep kills by lions in the region increased from 14 a year during 1972-79 to 33 annually since 1980. Although 14 lions were killed from 1972 through 1984 under depredation permits, the lion population in the 130-square-mile Foresthill Ridge area is believed to be about 15, including four adult males. Most attacks are by large males.

Environmental groups protested the commission’s plan, but not vigorously. The reason is that a bigger issue is at hand in Sacramento: legislation to extend the current general moratorium on lion killing, which is due to expire in October. One bill generally would maintain the present protection of the lion; another measure would permit sport hunting under limited open seasons.

The existing legislation seems to provide adequate protection for livestock owners. A few sheep growers have suffered limited losses. If any lions must be taken, the kills should be made only under the strictest of conditions by state or federal game officials.

As for the Fish and Game Commission’s decision to conduct this spring’s hunt, the random killing of five lions before the fact to protect the sheep seems to be a dubious experiment. By the state’s own account, the Foresthill Ridge area is good lion habitat and not particularly beneficial for livestock grazing. The goal is to reduce sheep losses by 50%. Fish and Game officials should monitor the situation carefully to make sure that sheep kills actually are caused by lions, and to analyze the numbers in the fall to determine if they got the “right” lions.

The lion is the last big predator roaming the state’s wildlands. Acting through the Legislature, the people of California have made a conscious decision not to let the big cat be annihilated as were the wolf and the California grizzly. That decision should be soundly reaffirmed in the Legislature this year.