The Mountain Lion Foundation’s Double Standard: How Feel‑Good Fundraising Endangers Cats, Communities, and Conservation

California’s Senate Bill 818 (“Tree & Free”) proposes a five‑year pilot in El Dorado County that would non‑lethally haze problem lions with trained hounds—restoring their natural wariness, reducing livestock loss, and preventing the state‑mandated kills that follow serious attacks.
Predictably, the Mountain Lion Foundation (MLF) blasted out a fundraising email claiming the bill is “harassment,” urging donors to bankroll its opposition campaign. Before you click donate, look at the record.

1. “Co‑Existence” in Press Releases—Lethal Outcomes on the Ground

• Fatal reality. In March 2024, young Taylen Brooks was killed and his brother Wyatt mauled near Georgetown—the first fatal lion attack in California in two decades. The animal was later euthanized.

• Hot‑spot county. El Dorado logged more than 200 pet‑ and livestock kills in 2024, plus daytime school‑yard sightings.

• Perverse result. With no deterrence tools, wardens end up issuing lethal depredation permits after tragedies—exactly what MLF claims to oppose.

That isn’t coexistence; it’s a conveyor belt from complacency to a body bag.

2. A Pattern of Blocking Science‑Based Management

MLF’s opposition to SB 818 isn’t an isolated stance. The organization repeatedly fights proven, science‑backed predator management—then uses the controversy to raise cash:

• Colorado: Backed 2024’s Proposition 127, a ballot ban on lion and bobcat hunting that voters rejected decisively.

• Arizona: Filed petitions in 2025 to outlaw hound use for predator control; the Fish & Game Commission unanimously rejected the effort—twice.

• California: Now targets SB 818, calling humane hazing “needless harassment” while sending urgent donation pleas.

The pattern is clear: block management, lose, and fund‑raise off the outrage.

3. The Science MLF Ignores

Peer‑reviewed studies in Washington and Nevada show non‑lethal pursuit with hounds significantly increases lions’ flight distances and keeps them away from people, pets, and livestock—exactly what SB 818 seeks to test. California’s own history (1972‑1990) demonstrated that regulated hound pursuit coincided with minimal depredation and human‑lion incidents.

4. Follow the Money

MLF’s email ends with: “Will you consider an additional gift today?” Fear is lucrative. Each sensational pitch against practical management drives donations—but leaves communities to face the fallout and lions to be shot when conflicts escalate.

5. What Real Coexistence Looks Like

SB 818 is non‑lethal, data‑driven, and time‑limited.

• Restores lions’ instinctive avoidance of humans—breaking the chain of events that led to the Brooks tragedy.

• Saves ranchers thousands while sparing lions from lethal permits.

• Requires a public report after five years so policy follows evidence, not emotion.

Bottom Line

The Mountain Lion Foundation’s “hands‑off” doctrine is a feel‑good slogan that gets lions—and sometimes people—killed. Californians who truly care about mountain lions, rural livelihoods, and public safety should back SB 818’s proactive, humane pilot and reject the hype‑and‑fundraise playbook.

Support science. Support safety. Support SB 818.

Sources for hazing studies: 

Washington – Non‑lethal hazing with trained hounds

• Parsons, M.A., George, B.E., & Young, J.K. (2024). “Evaluating the Efficacy of Aversive Conditioning of Mountain Lions with Hounds.” Canadian Wildlife Biology & Management 13(2).
  PDF download: CWBm

• Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. “Nonlethal Pursuit Pass Program” (state rules, application packet, and rationale for using hounds to deter cougars). WDFW

These documents show that short, controlled pursuits increased lions’ flight‑initiation distance and led Washington to formalize a statewide non‑lethal pursuit program.

Nevada / California comparative study on juvenile dispersal

• Randolph, J.F., Young, J.K., Stoner, D.C., & Garcelon, D.K. (2024). “Impacts of Management Practices on Habitat Selection During Juvenile Mountain Lion Dispersal.” Ecology and Evolution 14(8): e70097. DOI 10.1002/ece3.70097. PubMed

This study compared lions exposed to traditional hunting or non‑lethal pursuit with hounds (Nevada) to lions in strictly protected zones (California) and found that hound‑encountered juveniles avoided human landscapes significantly more—supporting SB 818’s premise that proactive pursuit reinforces healthy wariness.