Mountain lions in fragmented landscapes like southern California face severe welfare and population challenges from road mortality and habitat isolation.
Mountain lions in fragmented urban landscapes experience chronic welfare challenges from habitat restriction. Animals like the late P-22 lived in territories far smaller than natural requirements, with elevated stress hormones and reduced behavioral repertoire. Road crossings cause acute welfare harm — many animals survive the initial impact and die days later from injuries. Genetic isolation causes inbreeding depression, with individual animals experiencing disease and reduced fitness. Wildlife crossings directly address these welfare harms by enabling movement between habitat patches.