"Our wild neighbors should have the freedom to find food, mates and shelter, and should not be sickened or killed by reckless use of poisons, and so we owe it to ourselves and California wildlife to find ways to coexist," said J.P. Rose, urban wildlands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which sponsored both bills.
"Cars, lack of connectivity and poison are the top threats to imperiled mountain lions in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. The late, famed cougar P-22 was struck by a car toward the end of his life a few blocks south of Griffith Park and a subsequent exam revealed an old injury that may have been caused by another collision."
Efforts to boost wildlife connectivity in the Golden State have gained momentum in recent years. What's billed as the largest wildlife crossing in the world is rising over a 10-lane freeway near Los Angeles, while last month saw the launch of an initiative seeking to leverage public and private resources to build more safe passages for critters across the state.
The bills, which now go to the governor's desk for final approval, were authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale). They cleared the state Legislature late last month and build on previous laws she spearheaded.
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