Mothers and cubs are at the heart of research and conservation 

Those who follow our updates about our Living with Lions study in partnership with True Wild have likely noticed that we often share photos and stories about kittens. Though adorable, there are more pressing reasons than cuteness for these stories. With a less than 50 percent survival rate for cubs in Sonoma County, studying mother lions and their cubs is at the heart of research and conservation in the study. As with the most recently collared mountain lion, P49, collaring and tracking a female mountain lion can provide otherwise unattainable insights about the challenges and threats these North Bay apex predators face.  

New year, new lion 

At the start of 2025, Dr. Quinton Martins, Living with Lions’ principal investigator, received a call from a resident in West Sonoma County that they had lost sheep to a mountain lion. This resulted in Martins working with the landowner to access the property, where his team captured, tested, and collared P49. “It will be fascinating to see where this female goes and to eventually establish whether she is related to any of the cats we know in the area,” said Martins after her release. 

Martins didn’t have long to wait before a string of important data came trickling in relating to P49.  

Dinner for three 

About a month later, in analyzing her movements from the GPS collar, Martins suspected that she had at least one cub. He noticed that after she made a kill, typically appearing as a cluster of points on a GPS map, the lion headed off in the other direction and then doubled back. “It looked to me like she was going to fetch her offspring for dinner,” Martins said.  

Continuing to track P49’s movements, he saw what looked like a potential kill in the Forestville area. Martins contacted the landowner on the property and set up trail cameras at a freshly cached deer kill he found. The resulting footage revealed two cubs and P49 returning to the scene. Martins estimated the cubs to be about to be about 5 – 6 months old. 

A concerning discovery 

Along with the excitement of this observation, Martins saw something concerning in the footage. One of the cubs was moving with a wobbly gait called ataxia, a term for a lack of muscle coordination and control. The cause of this condition is unknown and according to Martins could be from physical trauma, a genetic condition, or from disease. 

This wasn’t the first time Martins had seen ataxia in the Living with Lions study. A few years ago, a female mountain lion, P26, called “Wobbly,” also had this condition and was tracked via GPS for about 6 months. At four years old, she was found emaciated and lethargic near a school in Rohnert Park. Without the possibility of rehabilitation, she was euthanized. 

The importance of continued monitoring 

Martins plans to capture and collar the wobbly cub at 12 months old. As he shared, “Capturing her will give us an opportunity to assess her condition. We would like to do a full set of X-rays in the field to look for signs of trauma (hit by a car or some other physical damage for example). Collaring her will allow us to determine whether she can survive in that state.” 

The story of P49 and her cubs also illustrates how coexistence between humans and lions presents challenges and threats to North Bay mountain lions. When domestic livestock and pets are left unprotected and depredation by a lion occurs, this behavior can be met by a lethal response. In this case, such a response would have left two kittens without any hope of survival.  

Risks and responsibilities 

Outreach, support, and consultation with landowners is central to North Bay mountain lion conservation. Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Living with Lions study is a community resource for healthy coexistence between humans, domestic animals, and lions. 

On the Audubon Canyon Ranch website, the free educational resource “Coexisting with mountain lions” gives examples of predator-proof pens and offers salient advice for keeping pets and livestock safe. 

When Martins isn’t in the field tracking and capturing mountain lions, he is on-the-go speaking throughout the area to raise awareness for mountain lion conservation and coexistence strategies. 

One-on-one support 

Martins also meets with landowners offering livestock protection consultation. This is a free service offered through generous support by private landowners and True Wild’s partner in mountain lion conflict work, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue. He brings a wealth of guidance and advice, including designs for effective predator-proof pens from True Wild’s conservation work with large predators such as leopards in Africa.  

In the case of the property where P49 killed sheep and was collared, Martins met with the landowner, helped secure the unprotected livestock, and left instructions, as well as building materials, to keep their animals safe.  

To be continued 

Documenting the lives of mother lions, their cubs, and supporting viable coexistence strategies is a lot of work! We are grateful for financial support from Disney Conservation Fund, Wildlife Conservation Network’s California Wildlife Program, and the many supporters of Audubon Canyon Ranch — become a member today.