Joe Rogan links mountain lions to policy debates, calls for stronger predator controls
The podcaster, joined by hunters Cameron Hanes and Adam Greentree, argues liberal policies leave neighborhoods exposed to predators and pets at risk, citing a taxidermied lion and pet-diet data.
Joe Rogan drew a direct line between wildlife policy and neighborhood safety on Tuesday, arguing that liberal state policies are allowing mountain lions to roam into U.S. suburbs and prey on house pets. The remarks were made during a discussion with big-game hunters Cameron Hanes and Adam Greentree on The Joe Rogan Experience and referenced a taxidermied mountain lion on display in Rogan’s lobby. "It’s like a werewolf’s loose in your town," Rogan said, describing what he framed as a predator’s rampage. He also cited a separate situation in Japan, where brown bears have begun attacking people as hunters age out of the hobby, prompting military involvement to help cull the population.
Rogan argued that some states are doing too little to curb the mountain lion population and that the predators are increasingly targeting household pets. He cited a finding — often cited by wildlife researchers — that in the San Francisco Bay Area, when mountain lions are hunted or studied, about half of their diet consists of dogs and cats. "50% of their diet is dogs and cats," he said. He warned that if communities fail to manage the population, the consequences will spill into rural areas as deer disappear from California, a dynamic he said contrasts with Texas where deer remain more visible. Rogan asserted that urban political leanings can influence wildlife policy, sometimes to the detriment of public safety.
During the conversation, Hanes and Greentree acknowledged how votes from urban centers can overwhelm rural voices on policy issues. Hanes recounted a time he was chased by a mountain lion during a run in California, underscoring what Rogan described as the hazard of leaving such predators unchecked. Rogan insisted the public must take action to keep predators from approaching homes and pets, arguing that hunting is a necessary tool to maintain a healthy wildlife population.
Rogan’s rhetoric extended to a critique of trophy hunting opponents, with him calling the idea of "monster control" a reformulation of hunting that reflects public safety concerns rather than sentimentality toward nature. He concluded with a blunt line that has become a signature stance among some listeners: "I love animals, but I am on team ‘People.’" The remarks, reported by the New York Post, reflect Rogan’s longstanding habit of mixing wildlife policy with political commentary on his platform.
