A startling video of a mountain lion roaming a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles has had conservationists calling for new, citywide protective measures.
But it's not humans that need protecting, according to Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat of the Center for Biological Diversity.
Security camera footage captured images of a mountain lion wandering onto the deck behind a home in the Hollywood Hills on Aug. 14. It paused for a few moments before moving on. No humans (or dogs) were hurt; the big cat passed through the neighborhood without causing any disturbance.
Reid-Wainscoat told KNX mountain lions rarely pose a threat to humans, but themselves are on the brink of extinction.
"They're around and you have no idea, and that's how they like it," she said.
Reid-Wainscoat said the video demonstrates the need for the Los Angeles City Council to pass a wildlife connectivity ordinance presently under consideration. The proposed new rules would regulate fences, hedges and outdoor lighting in areas where wildlife is common, making it easier for animals to travel between habitats with minimal human contact.
"The eastern Santa Monica Mountains are the wild heart of Los Angeles, and we're incredibly lucky that iconic predators like mountain lions still quietly roam our city," said J.P. Rose, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement emailed to KNX. "We're hopeful the city council will adopt a strong wildlife connectivity ordinance so that the next generation of Angelenos inherit a city where the wild is still alive.
The L.A. City Council is currently taking public comment on the connectivity ordinance.