True Wild Conservation

05/13/2026

P48 was first captured in November 2024 and named “Atlas.” He weighed 120 lbs and was estimated to be around 3 years old. On encountering our deer bait, he dragged the bait AND the log it was tied to, away and up a hill. Mountain lions are such powerful animals! Since his capture, Atlas has been actively establishing his territory in Sonoma’s west county.

With a collar battery life of about 1.5 - 2 years, we were looking for an opportunity to re-collar him this year to continue monitoring his movements. Thankfully, that moment came on Sunday, Apr 12. At almost 5 years old, his gorgeous tail has grown by 7 cm to a luxuriously long 86cm, and he looked in good health! After conducting blood tests, we were relieved to learn that he also tested negative for both FIV and FeLV.

In December last year we documented Atlas spending 3 days with P49 suggesting they were mating. On the 23 March, P49 gave birth to a litter of 3 kittens we now know are most likely Atlas’. His presence as a territorial male will be important in protecting his kittens from lion intruders looking to take over his territory. With both Atlas and P49 collared, we can keep a keen eye on the progress of these magnificent animals.

The Living with Lions project is a joint collaboration between True Wild Conservation and .

04/22/2026

2026 marks the 10 year anniversary for the Living with Lions project; a joint collaboration between True Wild Conservation and . We’re so excited to continue this essential research on Northern California mountain lions!

As of today, we have 7 pumas currently collared and are up to number P60! The first puma ever collared was P1 (“P” as in “Puma”) way back in 2016. Now, we’ve collected data from 60 different cats which is very exciting!

Not all 60 cats are alive but each individual gives us an essential glimpse into the lives of these elusive apex predators that we share the land with. Here’s to another successful 10 years!

The Living with Lions project is a joint collaboration between True Wild Conservation and .

04/19/2026

New name, same purpose! We have to admit that we have been a little absent on social media but that's because we’re hard at work in the field. True Wild has transitioned into two separate entities, our company True Wild Safaris (truewildsafaris.com) and our non-profit organisation, True Wild Conservation!

True Wild Conservation focuses on apex predators as excellent ambassadors for broad habitat conservation due to their far-ranging habits. If habitat is good enough for mountain lions, it is intact for many other species as well. If you keep key corridors open for mountain lions, many other creatures benefit. If livestock is protected from big cats, it is protected from other predators as well.

Our roots are in Africa, and we integrate our African experience with our grassroots work in the USA. Community involvement and buy-in are critical to protecting the natural ecosystems that support us all. We therefore invest heavily in communities and work pragmatically to solve issues with wildlife so that we can all coexist.

04/02/2026