In February, the California Fish and Game Commission officially listed mountain lions in our region as threatened. Most people are understandably confused as sightings and attacks in Morgan Hill and surrounding ranch lands are at record highs.
Activists are basically telling us to turn the entire western coast into a mountain lion habitat. To understand this, we must use simple mathematics.
First of all, the commission’s decision is not based on low numbers leading to impending extinction—it’s based on a hypothetical future disease that might happen. Meanwhile, they are ignoring the current crisis of massive overpopulation that is already here.
A single mountain lion home range is between 100-500 square miles. Using the minimum, 100 square miles equals 64,000 acres. Morgan Hill is 8,000 acres. It would take eight Morgan Hills to give one mountain lion a minimum home range.
Our Santa Cruz mountains are about 1,000 square miles, giving the range a carrying capacity of about 10 mountain lions. The current estimate is 80-plus lions. This shows an 8 times over carrying capacity.
Although authorities all agree with this math, they do not consider it overpopulated because the lions are trapped in these mountains by roads. If they were able to escape these fragmented Islands, they could spread out—the current solution being wildlife bridges to connect these islands.
But this does not solve the problem. If we take the state’s estimated 4,500 lions and give them the minimum 100 square miles, they would need 450,000 square miles to live comfortably and conflict free.
That 450,000 square miles equals 288 million acres. California is about 100 million acres. It would take three Californias to support the current mountain lion population.
By protecting a mountain lion population that, by their own standards is three times more than the state’s capacity, they are guaranteeing mass livestock and pet losses overflowing into backyards and mountain lions killing each other over territory and being pushed out into dangerous roads.
We must stop focusing on the hypothetical future disease and start focusing on the current population crisis that’s here right now.
Phil Salgado
Morgan Hill
The last fatal mountain lion attack in California was in 2024 and that was the first time in 20 years. Yes an attack can occur at any time but with common sense precautions they are extremely rare. A male mountain lions range is approximately 150 square miles and a females is only 50 sqaure miles. I would be curious to know exacltly what sightings and attacks have been around Morgan Hill to show that they are at a record high.
Concerns about wildlife near our neighborhoods are understandable, but the claim that mountain lions are “overpopulated” isn’t supported by current science. The best available estimates from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and recent statewide studies suggest there are roughly 3,000–4,500 mountain lions in California—hardly evidence of a population explosion.
In fact, researchers studying lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains have repeatedly found the opposite problem: fragmented habitat and isolated populations caused by highways and development. Increased sightings around places like Morgan Hill are more likely due to expanding suburban edges, abundant deer, and the proliferation of doorbell and trail cameras—not a sudden surge in lion numbers.
Mountain lions are an important apex predator that help keep deer populations in balance. Public safety matters, but policy discussions should be grounded in credible wildlife science rather than assumptions about “overpopulation.”
If Mountain lions were under populated the juveniles wouldn’t be forced into dangerous roads or into our backyard or killing each other over territory. They would simply move a few miles away to an unoccupied habitat. That’s not the case they are killing each other over territory.Being hit by cars and overflowing into people’s backyards, not because humans are invading the hills.But because there’s almost a hundred mountain lions in the area that should hold about 10. Santa cruz mountains is a thousand square miles , if you give each mountain lion , the minimum of 100 square miles ⁰it gives the santa cruz mountains a carrying capacity of ten mountain lions. If you take the states estimated 4,500 mountain lions and give them the minimal 100 square mile home range. They will need 450,000 square miles to live a conflict , free life without killing each other over territory. California is only 164,000 square miles. And i’m not even including human occupied space.
He’s using the states own numbers from The Fish and Game Commissioners and very conservatively. Those numbers are definitely grounded in science, if not, then the commissioner is assuming numbers. That what’s the whole purpose of this article to use state estimated numbers from the California department of fish and wildlife and the bureau of land management of california.
This is a fantastic article. Even if you account for overlapping female ranges it’s still a way overpopulated with mountain lions. There’s just no arguing with it. Well done Morgan Hill The Times.
This article is fantastic.. even considering overlapping female territories its way overpopulated . Theres just no arguing with it. Well done Morgan Hill The Times.