No one knows exactly how the young male mountain lion found resting near a country club on a busy street in Brentwood last month got there. But he probably left a hillside perch, made his way through a residential neighborhood, then crossed San Vicente Boulevard. Had he never been spotted (and tranquilized and returned to the Santa Monica Mountains without incident) he would have probably hunkered down under cover of trees, waited for night and then returned to the hills.
Although a daytime sighting of a mountain lion in an urban neighborhood is rare, Los Angeles abounds with wildlife. For decades, development has encroached upon open space and hillside habitats, endangering the existence of Southern California mountain lions and other animals and species of plants. Now, the city is creating its first wildlife ordinance that would comprehensively regulate development to protect the biodiversity of Los Angeles.
Eight years ago, City Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a motion calling upon the planning department to craft a wildlife ordinance. When the necessary funding for this effort was finally allocated to the department three years ago, it began working with ecologists, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and community wildlife advocates, including Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife, to strike a balance between allowing new construction while ensuring the survival of the wild animals that are living on this land.
