Mountain Lion Foundation will be attending The Wildlife Society 2019 Conference in Reno, Nevada from September 29th to October 3rd. We were able to create beautiful stickers for conference attendees with the help of talented conservation artists.

Very few conference goers are specifically “mountain lions biologists”. However, since mountain lions interact with and predate upon a wide variety of species, many scientists indirectly collect data on lions as they study their own species of interest.

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  We know that deer and elk are major food sources for mountain lions. 
  But what else is on their menu?bighorn sheep
  pronghorn
  coyotes
  moose
  bobcats
  raccoons
  small mammals
  feral pigs
  armadillos
  fishers
  martens
  opossums
  guanaco
  birds… even penguins!
  rodents (beavers & porcupines)

)Visit Mountain Lion Foundation at our booth in the exhibit hall for your free sticker!

About the artists:

Joey and Kylee Medina are two students attending Humboldt State University and are passionate about wildlife and creating art. Both have worked as wildlife technicians conducting habitat and population surveys for California Spotted Owl, Great Gray Owl and Osprey during their summer breaks.

Kylee is currently working on a degree in Environmental Science and Management with a concentration in Environmental Education and Interpretation. She loves to blend art with an educational spin in order to bring awareness to wildlife. Kylee hopes to one day develop her own outdoor educational program where she can continue to mix art and environmental interpretation while making a living doing it. If you don’t find her drawing or painting you will most likely find her looking for insects, moths and beetles in particular.

Joey is finishing up his degree in Wildlife Management and Conservation and is passionate about avian ecology. He hopes to obtain a master’s degree and work as a wildlife biologist with an emphasis on management and conservation of passerine species. In his free time, Joey enjoys birding and creating art of wildlife and natural sceneries.

Joey and Kylee are extremely excited and honored to contribute art to the Mountain Lion Foundation to help bring awareness to mountain lion conservation.

Follow Curiosity Biome on Instagram!

National Parks are refuges for mountain lions, who are killed by trophy hunters and on depredation in high numbers throughout their current range. Not only do these places benefit lions, but their presence in these parks enrich our experiences, too.

Ripple and Beschta’s work in Zion National Park was one of the first major studies to help demonstrate the importance of top predators in maintaining healthy, diverse landscapes. When the park gained popularity and more people visited, cougars were scared off. Without natural predators, mule deer over-browsed cottonwoods, causing a shift in vegetation, more erosion along stream banks, and ultimately fewer reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. These results, replicated in Yellowstone National Park , have broad implications with regard to our understanding of ecosystems where large carnivores have been removed or are being recovered. Read more about the study here.

So dust off those hiking shoes and get yourself to a National Park this weekend! Before you head out on the trail, check out Mountain Lion Foundation’s Safety Portal to learn how to recreate responsibly in mountain lion habitat. We have information such as:

Hiking, Biking & Recreation ChecklistStaying Safe on the Trail 

If you’re more of the trail runner-type, head over to our recent article, A Trail Runner’s Guide to Mountain-Lion Encounters, on IRunFar.com for more safety tips.

#FINDYOURPARK

The FWC is investigating a disorder detected in some Florida panthers and bobcats. All the affected animals have exhibited some degree of walking abnormally or difficulty coordinating their back legs.As of August 2019, the FWC has confirmed neurological damage in one panther and one bobcat. Additionally, trail camera footage has captured eight panthers (mostly kittens) and one adult bobcat displaying varying degrees of this condition. Videos of affected cats were collected from multiple locations in Collier, Lee and Sarasota counties, and at least one panther photographed in Charlotte County could also have been affected. The FWC has been reviewing videos and photographs from other areas occupied by panthers but to date the condition appears to be localized as it is only documented in three general areas.Photo: David Shindle – Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

“While the number of animals exhibiting these symptoms is relatively few, we are increasing monitoring efforts to determine the full scope of the issue.” said Gil McRae, director of FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “Numerous diseases and possible causes have been ruled out; a definitive cause has not yet been determined. We’re working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a wide array of experts from around the world to determine what is causing this condition.”

The FWC is testing for various potential toxins, including neurotoxic rodenticide (rat pesticide), as well as infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies.

The public can help with this investigation by submitting trail camera footage or other videos that happen to capture animals that appear to have a problem with their rear legs. Files less than 10MB can be uploaded to our panther sighting webpage at MyFWC.com/PantherSightings. If you have larger files, please contact the FWC at Panther.Sightings@MyFWC.com.

Florida panthers are an endangered species native to Florida. To learn more about panthers, visit MyFWC.com/panther.

Florida residents can support panther conservation efforts by purchasing a “Protect the Panther” license plate at BuyaPlate.com. Fees from license plate sales are the primary funding source for the FWC’s research and management of Florida panthers. People can also help panthers by donating to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. Visit WildlifeFlorida.org/Funding-Priorities.

To report dead or injured panthers, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on a cell phone.

Read the press release.

The Mountain Lion Foundation and the Center for Biological Diversity formally petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission today to protect mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).The petition seeks protections for gravely imperiled cougar populations in Southern California and on the Central Coast, including the Eastern Peninsular Range, Santa Ana Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, and north along the coast to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

“Our mountain lions are dying horrible deaths from car collisions and rat poison, and their populations are at risk from inbreeding too,” said Tiffany Yap, a biologist at the Center and primary author of the petition. “Without a clear legal mandate to protect mountain lions from the threats that are killing them and hemming them in on all sides, these iconic wild cats will soon be gone from Southern California.”

Habitat loss and fragmentation caused by freeways and sprawl have led to high levels of genetic isolation and human-caused mortality. These lion populations suffer from dangerously low genetic diversity. The animals are often killed trying to cross freeways, in retaliation for preying on livestock, and by poachers. Others die excruciating deaths after consuming prey that have ingested toxic rodenticides. Whenever a female lion dies, there’s a good chance kittens are being orphaned.

Mountain lions have profound impacts on their environment, which help to support the overall health of California ecosystems. Their kills provide an important food source for a host of wild animals, including California condors and gray foxes. Their presence benefits rare native plants, butterflies and even songbird populations.

Losing mountain lions may create imbalances that result in severe repercussions for people. In the eastern United States, where cougars are now extinct, uncontrolled growth of deer populations has resulted in overgrazed vegetation, loss of biodiversity, an increase in tick-borne illness, and a higher percentage of vehicle-deer collisions than in the western states where mountain lions reside.

“Very few young lions can make their way through the maze of homes that dot the hillsides of Southern California. They can’t cross eight-lane freeways to find a territory and establish a home. Yet the lion populations in isolated mountain ranges depend on the genes of these young immigrants to avoid extinction,” said Lynn Cullens, executive director of the Mountain Lion Foundation. “It’s time to recognize the threats that face mountain lions and improve our ability to protect them, because they matter for their own sake and have significant value to all Californians.”

Under the California Endangered Species Act, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has three months to make an initial recommendation to the Fish and Game Commission, which will then vote on the petition at a public hearing later this year. If mountain lions win protection under the Act, state and local agencies will have to work more carefully to manage threats to them. For example, road and development projects would have to include measures to preserve natural habitat links, such as wildlife crossings under freeways.

The Mountain Lion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1986. For more than 30 years, the foundation has worked with member volunteers and partner organizations to further policies that protect mountain lions and their habitat.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Since 2002, mountain lions have been studied extensively in the Santa Monica Mountains. Information on diet, habitat selection, home ranges, and mortality has been analyzed using data collected from GPS collars. This long-term research offers insights on how pumas eat, live, and reproduce in isolated environments. The Woolsey Fire burned a total of 96,949 acres in November 2018. Of these, 88% were federal lands and 47% of the Santa Monica National Recreation Area was burned, and 2 mortalities of collared lions were reported (P-74 and P-64). With thirteen mountain lions radio collared in the region, this will be a unique opportunity to see how mountain lions fair post-fire.

Like humans, mountain lions must decide when it is time to evacuate an area. How do these cats make this decision? A lions first clue of the oncoming danger may be when it smells the smoke. As the smell intensifies, and the fire gets closer, a lion must determine whether or not it should flee its territory – the place where they defend their resources.How do lions know where to go? A mountain lion’s cognitive map, or understanding of its territory, will change over time and with experience. These maps are in constant flux as disturbances like fire or development occur. Borders also change as a function of resource availability. One way that researchers try to understand these cognitive maps are through the use of GPS collar data. GPS collars are set to record a location at set times throughout the day or night. Through these research methods, the locations of animals can be tracked over a period of time, and the selection for certain habitat features and how that selection changes throughout time can be quantified.

In an isolated area such as the Santa Monica Mountains, territories are shrunk in acreage and are close to one another. Because mountain lions limit their own populations, it is no surprise that intraspecific strife, or conflict between mountain lions, is one of the leading causes of death in this community. As of 2015, of the 44 lions studied in the Santa Monica’s, 19 deaths were documented, which showed 42% of the lions died at the hands of a conspecific. So, it goes without saying that individuals who are temporarily displaced from their territories due to fire events could face conflicts with resident mountain lions.Intraspecific competition has been a strong evolutionary agent for felids, and as a result of this fierce competition, they rely on avoiding one another to keep the peace. Main methods of communication between conspecifics happens indirectly through olfactory cues in the environment, namely scrapes, cheek rubbing, and scat. Presumably, these signals are destroyed during the occurrence of fire.Mountain lions are fiercely territorial and increased intraspecific strife may occur if these signals are not present on the landscape. Territory boundaries will have to be re-established, but it is not clear how this happens after a major fire event.Does the risk of getting trapped in the fire have to be higher than the risk of being killed by a conspecific in order for the lion to step into another animals territory? How does this cost-benefit analysis occur inside the mind of a mountain lion? Fires – coupled with high winds – could trap lions in the flames, so this decision must be made quickly.For mothers with kittens, this will put them and their young at a higher risk. Moms might be less able to flee as rapidly since kittens may not be able to move as fast as the mother. Kittens who are too young to move with their mother may be abandoned in such circumstances. It is believed by biologists National Park Service biologists that the young mountain lion known as P-74 had not yet disbursed from his mother. He had been documented traveling with his mother less than a month before the fire by remotely triggered trail cameras. He likely did not survive the Woolsey Fire.”When the fire first broke out on the afternoon of November 8, 2018, P-64 was in the Simi Hills, north of Oak Park. He continued to travel throughout the Simi Hills for the next few days, covering several miles before then hunkering down in a remote area. Our biologist located P-64 on November 26 with a telemetry device in an unburned portion of the Simi Hills. This boosted hopes that P-64 may have been on a kill and surviving. The last GPS point transmitted by the collar was on November 28, but the collars commonly go multiple days without connecting to the satellites and transmitting points. Our biologist hiked in to the location of the last GPS point on December 3 and found P-64’s remains nearby. He appeared to have been dead for a few days.” – NPS

A mountain lion’s survival normally depends on avoiding other lions (except when mating), and avoiding humans. Fleeing into unknown areas could pose threats from another kind of predator – humans. Outside of a lions territory, they are not familiar with their surroundings, and are potentially unaware of where to go or what areas are safe. While the world watched as rabbits took refuge on sidewalks next to news crews who were reporting the latest updates, mountain lions do not have this luxury. A lion does not have the option to seek safety in highly populated area due to public perception and perceived threats associated with such sightings. To avoid death by fire, a lion can flee to an area within its own territory, or if required, can move outside of it. This new landscape may not be part of the lions cognitive map, and they will have to navigate unfamiliar ridge lines, canyons, and find water sources.Mountain lions that survive will face a new array of challenges. Loss of optimal habitat may shift their core areas, they may have to compete with another lion while re-establishing their territory, or they may struggle to find the resources necessary to survive. However, mountain lions will not be the only ones who will have to adapt to the changed environment. It will be interesting to see how both predators and prey – such as mountain lions and mule deer – will adjust to a landscape altered by fire.Things don’t always end poorly for these wild cats. In January of 2018, a juvenile mountain lion was rescued in Ventura County after the Thomas Fire. The cub was was discovered to be limping by local residents, and the cat was taken to California Department of Fish and Wildlife headquarters for treatment. UC Davis veterinarians tested a new, innovative biological bandage treatment to heal the cub’s burned paws with tilapia skins.

Mountain Lion Foundation would like to thank the Santa Barbara Police Department, Santa Barbara Animal Control, and California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) for their response to a young wayward lion in Santa Barbara yesterday evening.Santa Barbara Police Department and local animal control responded to the scene first, after which CDFW was called. The mountain lion was not in the city center, but was found in downtown Santa Barbara. Upon examination, this young female mountain lion, weighing in at about 50 pounds, had no visible spots or injuries. CDFW noted that she seemed to walk fine and be in good condition.

CDFW reported that the young lion was relocated to a remote location in the Los Padres National Forest, only a few miles away. The cat was alert at the time of release and was “chirping” – a vocalization used by young kittens to communicate with and locate mom and siblings.Relocation is moving an animal from one place in its home range to a different place inside of its home range. This is different from a translocation – when the animal is moved outside of its range to a new area. Because of their territory sizes, a new place for a mountain lion could be a considerable distance away from where it was found.The socio-political carrying capacity (the maximum number of lions that the public will tolerate) is almost always below that of the ecological carrying capacity (how many lions the environment can support). The good news is that Californian’s may have a higher tolerance for carnivores when compared to other places in the U.S., and that is shown in the state’s policy.Thanks to Senate Bill 132, this mountain lion was captured and relocated to a safe area, a fate that is not given to these big cats in other states.”SB 132 requires the use of nonlethal procedures when a mountain lion accidentally wanders into an urban area and poses no threat to the public,” says Korinna Domingo, Conservation Specialist at the Mountain Lion Foundation. SB 132 went into effect in January of 2014. “Many lions have benefited from this piece of legislation already.””I hope the cat makes it,” states Mountain Lion Foundation representative Robin Parks. When local first responders are called out to investigate reports of mountain lions, the situations range from simple sightings in the wild to the presence of lions in urban areas. A Naval Criminal Investigative Service retiree with over 25 years in federal law enforcement, Parks works directly with law enforcement agencies and gives presentations on various “shoot / don’t shoot” scenarios. His presentations are geared toward law enforcement personnel which show that killing a wayward cougar simply because it has wandered into human territory is rarely necessary and is often the wrong decision.

In May of 2017, CDFW officers responded to a juvenile mountain lion that wandered into a gardening center in Chatsworth. They found that the young lion had an ear tag, which identified him as P-50, a lion ear tagged as part of the National Park Service mountain lion study. P-50 was born to P-39, who was killed on the 118 freeway a few months earlier in December of 2016. Without the guidance of their mom, the other 2 cubs – about 8 months old – were killed in the subsequent weeks by vehicle strikes. The fate of young P-50 was unknown until wildlife officers tranquilized and relocated him into the Santa Susana Mountains.

While it is uncertain what the fate is of these mountain lions are after relocation, this nonlethal alternative may give them the best chance at making it in the wild. More information could be obtained by radio tracking lions that have been relocated, but no current studies exist in California.

Mountain Lion Foundation knows that it is not easy job being a Wildlife Officer. We thank our brave Wildlife Officers for keeping mountain lions and other wildlife safe from poachers, enforcing wildlife laws, and for calmly resolving human-wildlife conflict. Please join us in thanking these responders using the hashtag #IStandWithWildlifeOfficers.

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Judge William Newsom, a founding board member of the Mountain Lion Foundation. In 1971, it was estimated that only 600 mountain lions survived in the wild, and Governor Ronald Reagan enacted a moratorium on hunting the mountain lion for sport. That moratorium was subsequently extended twice and then made permanent when California voters approved Proposition 117 in 1990. It was during this rocky formative period that Judge Newsom helped to change Californian’s attitudes toward mountain lions and secured permanent protection for the species.

Newsom, a long-time wildlife activist, was also founder of the Wildlife Conservancy and gave his time to organizations like the Sierra Foundation, Earth Justice and the Environmental Defense Fund. In 2012, Dan Richards, President of the California Fish and Game Commission, came under fire for killing a mountain lion in Idaho. While the hunt was legal, the act was viewed as contradictory to widely held beliefs in California that mountain lions needed to be protected. Many, including Newsom, called for the resignation of Richards as President.Listen to the KQED Forum with Judge Newsom, Jennifer Fearing, Paul Rogers and Bill Carr.Another topic of concern for Newsom was the necessity of proper training of wildlife officials when responding to conflicts with mountain lions. In 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle published a strong appeal for saving mountain lions submitted by founding MLF president and retired judge, the Honorable William Newsom. Judge Newsom said, “The Mountain Lion Foundation has offered to partner with Fish and Game to provide training and make available its extensive scientific research to provide state-of-the-art information on lion behavior and predator conflict situations from around the world. Specifically, we have begun a campaign that calls for better training of law-enforcement personnel confronted with mountain lion conflicts.” To this day, we are focused on improving the way in which wildlife officials respond to conflicts such as depredation.We are forever indebted to Judge Newsom, a founder, president and advisory board member of the Mountain Lion Foundation, whose profound commitment to the survival of California’s cats resulted in their continuing presence on our landscapes today.

Cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) are on the rise in the United States and Colorado is no exception. CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that is found in ungulate species like mule and white-tailed deer, moose, elk, and many more.According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the disease “has been found in more than half of the deer herds and about one third of elk herds.” In response to the high infection rate in several of the State’s herds, CPW drafted a plan that directs “future management of deer, elk and moose herds with high levels of CWD infection.”

In March 2018, the Colorado Chronic Wasting Disease Advisory Group (CWDAG)was assembled with the purpose of assisting CPW with the development of its CWD Response Plan, which was released earlier this month for public comment.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) submitted a comment letter to Colorado Parks and Wildlife regarding its draft plan, with the Mountain Lion Foundation and WildEarth Guardians signing on in support. Their letter expressed the importance of large carnivores, like mountain lions, in reducing the spread of CWD. The HSUS also emphasized that the excessive trophy hunting of mountain lions in the State was impacting the spread of CWD throughout wild ungulate populations by reducing lion populations to lower than natural levels. They suggested reducing the amount of trophy hunting permitted in CWD hot spots to allow for predators to fulfill their ecological role.

CWD is highly infectious and is easily transmitted through saliva and feces. As such, it is imperative that livestock and wild ungulates be kept separate through more efficient fencing practices. Given that livestock typically occur in higher densities and symptoms of the disease are not immediately apparent, the spread of CWD might go unnoticed, leading to a significant financial impact through livestock loss.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be reviewing public feedback and will meet in January to vote on final management actions.