(a) Except as provided in Section 4157 and notwithstanding any other law, it is unlawful for a person to hunt, trap, or otherwise take a bobcat.
(b) The prohibitions of this section shall not apply to any of the following:
(1) The take of a bobcat by a law enforcement officer or licensed veterinarian acting in the course and scope of official duty.
(2) The take of a bobcat based on a good faith belief that the take was necessary to protect a person from immediate bodily harm from the bobcat if both of the following conditions are met:
(A) The person who committed the take notifies the department within five days after the take.
(B) A bobcat or part of the bobcat taken pursuant to this subdivision is not retained, sold, or removed from the site of the take without the authorization from the department.
(3) The take of a bobcat pursuant to Section 3960.2, 3960.6, or 4181.
(4) The take of a bobcat pursuant to Section 1002 or 3960.4.
(5) The take of a bobcat pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2116) of Division 3.
(6) The take of a bobcat by the department for the protection of a species listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq.) or the California Endangered Species Act (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 2050) of Division 3).
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 766, Sec. 4. (AB 1254) Effective January 1, 2020.)