Cat News: California has officially recognized that six mountain lion populations are at risk of disappearing.
Not because there is no habitat left — but because highways, development, and habitat fragmentation have cut these cats off from one another.
Some populations in central and southern California are now showing severe signs of inbreeding and genetic isolation. Scientists warned the state for years that these lions were becoming trapped on ecological islands. The state has finally agreed to list these cats under the California Endangered Species Act.
Now, development project have to consider their impact on theses cats in the state, a huge win for these endangered cats.
This is a huge win, because mountain lions do not just need habitat — they need movement.
