Mountain Lion

Distribution

Reproduction

Ecology

Management

Literature Cited

Management

The future of the mountain lion lies uncertain.  Continuing habitat fragmentation and expanding human development has further extirpated and isolated populations of mountain lions nationwide.  Lions in the southern hemisphere are also being over-exploited and habitat is being destroyed by human development.  Mountain lions need habitat secluded from human development in patches large enough to maintain predator-prey relationships and territorial requirements.  Management of mountain lions includes a history of controversial issues.  In California, the mountain lion has been a protected species since 1972, but not before political fighting between citizens.  After 57 years of bounty on lions, putting them close to extinction in the state, a period of non-bounty, 6 years as a non-game animal and 3 years with a hunting season (1969-1972), the California Department of Fish and Game prepared a management plan and provided the first documented population estimation numbers on mountain lions (Torres et al. 1996).  Population numbers have slowly risen, but now further human expansion into lion habitat has human-lion encounters on the rise creating controversy on the protection of the animal (Torres et al. 1996).

Mountain lions are secretive, nocturnal, and occur in low densities making it difficult to monitor changes in populations (Beier and Cunningham 1996).  Track surveys, hunter harvests, depredation rates, and radio telemetry are all techniques used to estimate and monitor mountain lion populations.  The nocturnal lifestyle of mountain lions makes radio telemetry difficult to perform, and estimates from hunter kills and depredation data are largely subjective and ineffective in management implications (Beier and Cunningham 1996).  Beier and Cunningham (1996) found that although considerable sampling efforts may be required to conduct track surveys that yield statistically valid inferences on population change, track surveying is probably the best method for estimating mountain lion populations.  Estimating lion populations as accurately as possible is imperative for wildlife managers to pursue further management planning.