The city of LA is trying to make the hard lives of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains a little easier. On Friday, the city council voted to draft an ordinance that would create a "wildlife corridor" ensuring that mountain lions and other animals are able to move through the mountain range without being cut off by new development projects. The law would require developers to ensure that construction plans don't interfere with paths meant for wildlife use. Projects would also have to be submitted to a "habitat connectivity" review, the LA Times reports.
Last week a mountain lion wandered onto the campus of a high school in Granada Hills, drawing attention to the plight of the animals in Los Angeles, where they are constrained by a fairly small habitat. The extremely territorial creatures need plenty of space to roam, and limited space in the Santa Monica Mountains has led to a Game of Thrones-level of inbreeding and violence among the mountain lions there.
"We want to be certain that P-22 can get around, meet P-23 and have P-24," Councilmember Paul Koretz said in the Times, advocating for the new law. P-22 is the famous Griffith Park mountain lion, whose popularity with Angelenos was tempered slightly when he murdered a koala last month at the Griffith Park Zoo. Unfortunately the law is unlikely to benefit P-22 much. He's currently trapped in tiny (by mountain lion standards) Griffith Park, bounded by freeways on all sides.
- L.A. seeks to protect 'wildlife corridor' in Santa Monica Mountains [LA Times]
- Video: Inside the Hard Lives of Los Angeles Mountain Lions [Curbed LA]
- 4 Facts About the Mountain Lion Wandering Around Granada Hills Yesterday [Curbed LA]
- Griffith Park Mountain Lion is 'Prime Suspect' in LA Zoo Koala Murder [Curbed LA]