California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990

California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990
California State Legislature
Full name	California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990
Signed into law	June 5, 1990
Bill	Proposition 117
Website	Prop 117 amended by AB 117 Prop 117 amended by SB 769
Status: Current legislation

The California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990, also known as the Wildlife Protection Act, California Proposition 117, and Prop 117, was a proposition in the state of California that specified mountain lions as protected animals and also created a $30-million per year conservation fund to acquire land for the purposes of conversation. The proposition specifically made it “unlawful to take, injure, possess, transport, import or sell any mountain lion,” with exceptions when the animal is a threat to livestock or health and public safety. ^[1]

History

A precursor to Proposition 117, Assembly Bill 660, was passed in 1972. This bill placed a four-year moratorium on the hunting of mountain lions. It was extended several times. ^[2]

Proposition 117 was the first initiative to qualify for statewide ballot solely through efforts of unpaid volunteers. ^[3] It passed on June 5, 1990. ^[2]

The proposition was amended in 1995 ^[4] and again in 2011. ^[5] An attempted amendment in 1996 failed. ^[6]

Effects

Mountain lions

Mountain lion attacks on humans and livestock increased in the five years after Proposition 117 passed. In response, the Department of Fish and Wildlife increased their issuance of depredation permits, which reduced these attacks. ^[2]

As of 2023, Proposition 117 has not caused mountain lions to become overpopulated, as their social structures and food availability are able to control the population on their own. ^[7] However, daytime mountain lion sightings, including in populated areas, have increased, likely due to Proposition 117 effectively banning the "nonlethal pursuit and treeing of mountain lions with hounds." ^[2]

About one hundred mountain lions are killed in California each year through Proposition 117's depredation exception. ^[8]

Wildlife habitats

As of 2010, more than 2.2 million acres of wildlife habitat have been protected through funds provided by Proposition 117. These habitats include: ^[3]

• 300,000 acres for mountain lions
• 337,000 acres for additional wildlife
• 267,000 acres of wetlands
• 1,000,000+ acres of fisheries and river banks
• nearly 145,000 acres for hiking and interpretive programs

References

1. Menon, Rahul K. "The Human-Animal Conflict: Conservation of the Mountain Lion in Urbanizing Southern California" (PDF).
2. "California Senate Bill 818". State of California. April 10, 2025 – via LegiScan.
3. "Twenty Years of California Wildlife Protection". Mountain Lion Foundation.
4. "AB 117" (PDF). State of California. January 11, 1995.
5. "SB 769". State of California. March 25, 2011.
6. "Amendment of the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 (Proposition 117). Mountain Lions". 1996 – via University of California.
7. "How many mountain lions are in California?". Mountain Lion Foundation. January 31, 2024.
8. "Saving California's Mountain Lions". Center for Biological Diversity. Retrieved July 17, 2025.