I live in the backcountry of Southern California, which means hot weather, rattlesnakes, and even the occasional run-in with a wild mountain lion. These run-ins are becoming less frequent, and a new study from UC Davis Wildlife Center explains why: mountain lion, or puma, populations are in steep decline throughout SoCal, and may face total collapse without serious intervention.

Pumas face many human-caused dangers. Their habitat has shrunk due to development. Dangerous freeways bisect their terrain, killing almost all cats who attempt to cross and isolating those who don’t, so that they are inbreeding and showing signs of genetic abnormalities.

But another threat looms over the puma population: “depredation permits” to hunt lions accused of killing domestic animals. Four have been killed on depredation permits since October alone, all because pets or hobby animals weren’t fenced in properly, and they were easy prey for hungry cats.

We cannot take the lives of the last remaining pumas simply because it too easy for them to get to a pet or hobby animal. An outdated law made depredation permits easily accessible, and we must fight to change it. I am calling on California state lawmakers to immediately amend Fish and Game Code sections 4802 and 4803 to greatly restrict permitted puma killings.

Where I live, in the less-populated area east of Interstate 15, these permits are the #1 cause of mountain lion deaths. The law allows any citizen to demand that a lion be killed if it has killed their “livestock or domestic animal,” a term which is used loosely. In most recent cases, it has been hobby animals that have been killed, such as a few chickens or a single goat that someone keeps in their yard. The law allows for depredation permits to be issued in almost all cases, and what few limits there are, are most often ignored.

This cannot continue. While the main threat to these cats’ survival is being addressed in the form of travel corridors, we cannot turn around and shoot healthy pumas simply because they found a hole in a fence or a chicken coop was left open. We also need to encourage those who own pets or hobby animals to be more responsible and proactive in implementing defense strategies so the pumas are not attracted to their properties.

Please join me in calling on California lawmakers to address the Southern California mountain lion crisis on all fronts, and outlaw the casual killing of pumas that get into backyards.