Musings of a New Naturalist: Cougars on my mind
Before moving to Colorado, I hardly thought about cougars. That changed suddenly on the day of my first encounter – not an encounter in the wild, but one on a ballot. Coloradans were asked to vote on whether to ban hunting of mountain lions (bobcats and lynx too). I was shocked! I didn’t know that mountain lions were still hunted here, or anywhere. Since then, I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about these elusive top predators with a long list of names – puma, painter, panther, mountain lion, ghost cat and catamount, to name a few. They are all the same cat.
Everything about cougars impresses me. They are so adaptable that they can be found hunting on rugged mountains, flat prairie, humid swamps, and even on beaches in Argentina and southern Chile, where penguins are on the menu! They are the only large cat in the world whose numbers are increasing in the wild. The leftovers from their kills feed myriad other species. Wolves and grizzlies drive cougars from their kills and consume the spoils. Thus, cougars are a vital part of healthy ecosystems. And they are still surprising biologists. Though thought to be solitary, except for when females are raising kits, new trail camera footage documents cougars sharing food with one another. It’s another instance of reciprocity in nature. (Check out https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/about-willow-diary-of-a-mountain-lion/33397/.)
This winter in local classrooms, I’ll invite students to begin their own explorations of cougars. We’ll also practice safety in cat country. I believe that as our knowledge grows, so will our appreciation and tolerance for this elusive feline. I still hope to see one in the wild someday, but chances are low!