The moment a coyote or mountain lion is spotted in a residential area, it is on the front page within an hour. Photos become viral, warnings are issued, and the conversation is over. Many focus on whether the animal posses a danger or needs to be relocated, yet few stop to consider why it was approaching the neighborhood in the first place.
Santa Clarita is growing fast. Open space that previously provided wildlife safe passage is being destroyed. Natural corridors upon which animals rely to wander, hunt and breed are being cut off by new housing tracts, roads and industry. When a predator wanders into a subdivision, it is not because it prefers the company of humans. It is because its second option is disappearing.
Coexistence is not about keeping or locking away animals. It is about promoting land use that allows for habitat conservation, resisting wildlife-unfriendly projects, and being aware of the fact that every project built in the valley has impacts on far more than human convenience.
If we continue to think of wildlife as things to be gotten rid of, the result will be fewer animals, less variety and a lessened ecosystem. Having animals such as mountain lions shows us environmental health. Their loss would be a removal of some of the things that make Santa Clarita unique.
Instead of being attracted to the spectacle of a sighting, we can employ these moments to inquire what it says about the well-being of our planet. If the answer is wildlife are sick, then so is our community.
Jack Parker
Valencia
