Wildlife conservationists captured the first mountain lion in Marin as part of an expanded research project to learn more about how the big cats live in the North Bay.
The 8-year-old, 140-pound male, named P-60, was captured in the Lagunitas area last month. Living with Lions program researchers targeted the beast after a property owner reported killing two goats.
The crew lured the mountain lion into a cage with the remains, sedated it, took blood samples, placed a GPS collar around its neck and released it to track its whereabouts.
“He’s a very large lion and very energetic,” said Tom Gardari, CEO of All Hands Ecology, formerly of Audubon Canyon Ranch. The nonprofit is collaborating on the project with True Wild Conservation.
“If you look at the computer, you can see where he has been. He seems to be moving well through the landscape, feeding, etc.,” Galdari said.
For the past decade, the group has been capturing and tracking mountain lions in Sonoma County through a network of GPS collars and trail cameras. They recently received permission from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to conduct research in Marin County.
Captured cats are examined for gender, age, weight, and overall health before being released. Blood samples are collected for genetic and disease monitoring. Survey results will be shared to aid conservation efforts.
The group also provides classroom presentations and community education on risk reduction for pets and livestock.
“We want people to know that we can coexist with lions, and as much as possible, we want to evoke a sense of awe and wonder that we all live together. Lions are amazing creatures,” Gardari said.
Mountain lions are solitary cats that cover large territories. In Sonoma County, female cats have a territory of about 30 to 50 square miles, while male cats have a territory of about 100 to 200 square miles, according to the nonprofit group.
Felines primarily feed on white-tailed deer, but are also known to prey on unprotected livestock, domestic cats, and other wildlife.
Little is known about the people who live in Marin County.
Quinton Martins, director of True Wild Conservation, is the founder of the Living with Lions program and leads the research and trapping. The program is based on research Martins conducted in South Africa. He has captured and tracked 40 lions in Sonoma County through the Living with Lions program.
Martins said the expansion into Marin and the first capture marks the beginning of a new era in research.
Martins said Marin County is not an area expected to have many mountain lions because it has a lot of open space. Although they prefer to be hidden and on the move, there are some areas that are suitable for what appears to be a small population of felines, he said.
“Marin’s story is interesting because it kind of fills in the final piece of the puzzle in terms of how mountain lions behave at the end of the road,” Martins said.
A mountain lion that was moving south along the California coast becomes separated in the Marin Headlands region. The only way they can move south is by heading east around the bay, Martins said.
“There are some really great stories,” Martins said.
One, for example, was a P-36 that was collared in Santa Rosa and traveled through Marin County to the Golden Gate Bridge. When he realized he couldn’t go any further, he crossed Highway 101 and attempted to pass through the Tiburon Peninsula. Once again, I couldn’t go anywhere, so I headed back north.
The group tracked the P-36 for approximately 1,400 miles before it was shot and killed by a rancher for killing livestock.
Group members said killing a mountain lion would mean filling the vacant territory with one or more lions and would not solve the problem of unprotected livestock.
Martins said rural ranchers and pet owners have a responsibility to protect their animals by keeping them in closed areas. Martins said the animals should be kept in a locked space at night where the mountain lion cannot see or enter.
“If they could see into the enclosure, it would cause havoc and they would try to get their feet through,” Martins said.
Galdari said the organization also tracks where mountain lions cross roads and highways and can do whatever it can to prevent them from being hit by cars.
“We want to see if there are important wildlife corridors that lions are using that could be protected, or at least managed if they are already protected,” Gardari said.
Martins said the project has a broader conservation goal of “common wildlife coexistence.”
“This mountain is a great ambassador for broader habitat conservation because they are apex predators that need the building blocks they need to survive,” he says.
Researchers rely on verbal information to find mountain lions to capture. This includes reports from people who have spotted big cats on security or wildlife cameras, people who have had their livestock or pets killed, and people who have found freshly killed deer.
Residents are encouraged to contact Martins at quinton@truewild.org or 707-721-6560 to report incidents.
The program is funded by donations and grants from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies. All Hands Ecology is seeking funds to support its continued work in Marin County.
Galdari said the group has begun discussions with organizations such as the Marin County Parks Department and the Marin City Water District to gain access to the land for research.
John Campo, conservation science manager for Marin County Parks, said there are more than 100 wildlife cameras in the Mount Tamalpais watershed area that take photos of wildlife, including mountain lions. Other than that, the county doesn’t have much data on cats, he said.
“We’re really excited to learn more about what they have in mind with their research and what they hope to learn from it,” Campo said.
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