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.

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!

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

10/07/2024

This is the last day to support True Wild through the online auction hosted by Goatlandia who have provided us such amazing support through through the hosting of a spectacular event this weekend!

🐾 Our Online Auction is LIVE! 🐾

Support TrueWild’s wildlife conservation efforts by bidding on unique items in our online auction! From an exclusive sleepover at Goatlandia to a VIP tour at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, your participation helps protect wildlife. 💚 Bid today!
goatlandia.org/events/dine-out-for-wildlife/

10/07/2024

📸Exclusive Wildlife Photography📸
Don’t miss your chance to own Quinton Martins’ iconic wildlife photos—including a rare shot
of a mountain lion cub!🦁 These stunning pieces capture the essence of the wild and help fund local conservation efforts.

Bidding closes October 7th!
goatlandia.org/events/dine-out-for-wildlife/

10/07/2024

🔭 Swarovski Binoculars for Nature Lovers! 🔭
Calling all wildlife enthusiasts! Bid on the Swarovski NL10x32 Binoculars, the best in their
class, perfect for spotting animals in the wild.

Watch wildlife up-close in Sonoma County or
wherever your adventurous spirit takes you!🤩
goatlandia.org/events/dine-out-for-wildlife/

06/04/2024

Repost from

Five mountain lions that were being tracked by the Audubon Canyon Ranch Living with Lions Project have died in recent months, sparking an investigation by state experts and striking a blow to the local research program.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and its partners say the cats, which died between mid-February and late April, succumbed to bacterial bronchopneumonia after a period of weight loss and declining health.

The fatalities raise questions about whether other mountain lions in the region that are not monitored by the project may be sick or dying undetected.

Story by Mary Callahan / Photo by by Quinton Martins; courtesy Living with Lions

04/08/2024

It is not easy to wax lyrical about project happenings when the wind has been sucked out of your sails. We have had 3 collared mountain lions die in the past month - P46, then P45 and lastly P11. A significant setback and emotional rollercoaster. All 3 female cats have passed away with cause of death unknown. All bodies have been sent to CDFW () or UC Davis () for necropsies to determine cause of death.

P46 (~10 years old) was collared on Sonoma Mountain in December 2023. On February 29, we received a collar mortality signal and went to investigate. Quinton found her body lying in the shade of a tree down in a drainage. There appeared no signs of injury.

P45 was collared in October 2023. She was only about 2 years old and blind in her right eye. On March 21st, Quinton received a mortality signal from her collar. He found her under a tree having died a short while before. Again, he could detect no signs of physical injury.

P11 - On Sunday the 24th, Quinton got a mortality signal from her collar in Annadel State Park (). He immediately reached out to Park staff and is incredibly grateful for their response to this situation. He was able to isolate the location of the collar signal and found P11 lying dead in the bush. No visible signs of injury - again!

A common thing for all the mortalities was that the lions had not made significant kills for some time before they died, suggesting they may have been unwell for several weeks. We do not yet have the necropsy results for any of the recent deaths. Health issues like Avian Flu or Pneumonia spring to mind. Avian flu was recorded in 6 California mountain lions in 2023. We will have to wait for the results.

Without these mountain lions being collared we would not be aware of these lion mortalities. It is incredibly demoralizing to see these cats dying. Also to invest so much into trying to study them and having them die so soon. However, we may hopefully be able to use this information in a meaningful way to ensure the conservation of other lions to come.

Photos: P11 carried by Quinton and Park staff, P46 in her final resting place, P45 found hours after death.

04/03/2024

We had an interesting time at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue () giving our Human-Wildlife Interactions workshop. We had 7 children and their parents join us to learn how to live with livestock and predators. Workshops like these can help people to learn about how to coexist with predators, protecting both their livestock and wildlife.

Liz pointing out a hole dug under this chicken run. This is a typical chicken run for protecting chicks, but it lacks the necessary protection from digging animals, such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes. In this case, a good solution would be to lay and secure chicken wire on the ground around the run.

Explore the true wild!