Wi l d Fe l i d Mo n i t o r1).pdf · WFA Board News (From the President, from page 1) WFA Founding Board from left: Gary Koehler, Chris Belden, John Beecham, Hugh Robinson (front),

Introducing the WFA

Linda SweanorInterim Board [email protected]

I am excited to present the first issue of the Wild Felid Monitor. Over the past year, a highly mo-tivated group of 10 people with a mix of experience in felid research, management, and conservation has been working to create a new organization—the Wild Felid Research and Management Asso-ciation, or WFA. This newsletter is the first fruit of that labor. You might ask, “Why and how was this organization started? Do we need this organization? How is it different from other felid organi-zations? What can this organiza-tion do for me – or for the animals I may be trying to study, manage or conserve?” Finally, you might just wonder, “What’s in this news-letter, and how can I contribute?”

Establishing the WFAAn interest in the formation of a new professional association on wild felids was first expressed by participants at the Eighth Moun-tain Lion Workshop held in Leav-enworth, Washington, USA in May, 2005. A survey of 56 U.S. and Canadian participants indicated that improved communication

Newsletter of the Wild Felid Research and Management Association (WFA)Winter 2007-2008, Volume 1, Issue 1.

Wil d Fe l id Mon itor

(continued on p.3)

(continued on p.6)

© Susan C. Morse

Join the WFA and receive future issues of the Wild Felid Monitor

Application page 25

Wild Cats and CliMate Change

John Seidensticker, Senior Scientist, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, [email protected]

The 1,300 km² lowland, secondary, tropi-cal forest in Way Kambas National Park on Sumatra’s (Indonesia) southeast coast

normally receives 286 mm of rain per month. But during the 1997 El Nino, the park received less than 10% of normal. Neil Franklin (2002) observed seawater intrud-ing in the waterways 16 km inland from the coast; fires burned over 55% of the park; poaching pres-sure increased; and the to-tal estimated tiger density was 4.6/100 km² in 1997, 2.6 in 1998, 1.1 in 1999, then 2.6 in 2000. While some tigers died in the fires, the results of the fires on prey popula-tions and direct mortality from poaching could not be separated. The park is a habitat island

surrounded by human settlement and cultiva-tion; options for connecting it through corridors with other protected areas such as Berbak, Tessi Nilo, or Bukit Barisan are no longer available. For now, Way Kambas continues to limp along. A new El Nino event will again threaten, or even

overwhelm, the small pop-ulations of Sumatran tiger, rhino, elephant, clouded leopards, flat-headed cat, golden cat, and fishing cat, and the multitude of other plants and animals

that live is this tiny vestige of what was once the great lowland rainforest of Sumatra. Way Kam-bas is set up for a catastrophic event and there isn’t much anyone can do about it.

www.wildfelid.org; [email protected]

“... depending on the species of wild cat there will be loss of critical habitats and range fragmentations, contractions, and expansion result-ing from climate change.”

The Wild Felid Research and Management Association

The Wild Felid Monitor is the biannual newsletter of the Wild Felid Research and Management Association (WFA)Editor: Chris Papouchis Newsletter Committee: Linda Sweanor, Gary Koehler, Sharon Negri, Hugh Robinson

PO Box 3335, Montrose CO 81402 USA E-mail: [email protected], Websites: www.wildfelid.org & www.wildfelid.com

Editorial PolicyThe Wild Felid Monitor encourages submission of articles, information and letters on ecology, research, management and conservation

of wild felid species, and particularly of those species native to the western hemisphere. Preferred length of submissions is about 750 words. Submissions of photos, drawings and charts are encouraged.

Electronic submissions to [email protected] are preferred; otherwise mail to the address above. The WFA reserves the right to accept, reject and edit submissions.

Deadline for the Summer 2008 issue is March 5, 2008Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue. The artwork is copyrighted – Please do not reproduce without permission.

MembershipUse the form on page 25 to order memberships and/or make donations.

The Wild Felid Research and Management Association (WFA) is a professional association open to researchers, wildlife managers, educators and others dedicated to the conservation of all wild felid species, with an emphasis on those species in the western hemisphere. The WFA

acts in an advisory capacity to facilitate wild felid conservation, management, research, and public education, and functions among various governments, agencies, councils, universities and organizations responsible or interested in wild felids and their habitats.

Board News1 Welcome to the WFA4 Dedication5 In Memory7 Contribute to the Wild Felid Monitor7 WFA at the 9th Mountain Lion Workshop7 Graduate scholarship opportunity 8 Wild felids of the western hemisphere24 Future wild felid events25-26 WFA member application and survey27 Board of Directors contact information

Voices1 Wild cats and climate change9 Prioritizing conservation action and funding for the Felidae

Conference Reports10 Felid biology and conservation conference11 Canada lynx on the border: Biological and political realities for conservation planning

Management News11 Trapping in Maine restricted to protect Canada lynx12 Mountain lion management and hunter education in Colorado13 Update on Canada lynx reintroduction in Colorado

Notes from the Field14 Predicting the effects of forest management on Canada lynx15 Projeto Puma: Studying and conserving puma and jaguar in Brazil16 Project CAT: An experiment in science and education17 The Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project: An intro18 Cougar research in Alberta

Tools of the Trade19 Noninvasive sampling techniques for wild felids

Research Highlights20 Studying effects of urbanization on disease dynamics in bobcats, pumas and domestic cats20 Novel spatial tools for connectivity conservation: Cougars in southern California20 Paraguay jaguar study 21 Canadian lynx cycles and barriers to dispersal21 Ecology and conservation of cougars in the eastern Great Basin21 Examining the habitat and prey selection of an isolated cougar population

Recent Publications22-23 Recent publications

Cover and back photo credits: Susan Morse, [email protected] logo designed by Ben Wright, [email protected]

In This Issue

Wild Felid Monitor: Winter 2007-08: Vol 1, Issue 12

and networking was needed to help bring people of similar inter-ests together, provide opportunities to pool resources and build on current knowledge, and advance the fields of research, management, and conservation. Specific areas of interest indicated by participants were, ranked from highest to lowest, science/research, management, conservation, education, and policy and socioeconomic impacts (tied). Most respondents favored the creation of a group that would focus on all wild cats in the western hemisphere, not just mountain lions (Puma concolor). Respondents stressed a broader focus because it allowed for greater exposure to topics on related species that might provide strategies and ideas not otherwise considered.

After the workshop and armed with these positive survey responses, two Mountain Lion Workshop participants initiated a search for experienced individuals willing to participate in the establishment of this new, professional association. In August 2006, the found-ing WFA board met in Bainbridge, Washington, USA to begin developing the structure of the WFA. The interim WFA board members have varied backgrounds that include wildlife research, present or former employment in state or federal wildlife agencies, and conservation NGOs (see picture). Together, we have struc-tured the WFA to be a professional, non-advocacy organization of biologists, wildlife managers, wildlife educators, and others who are dedicated to the management and conservation of wild felids in the Western Hemisphere through science-based management and education. The interim board developed a WFA mission statement and bylaws that are similar in structure to those of another pro-fessional organization, the International Bear Research and Man-agement Association (IBA). Our bylaws can be found on our new website, www.wildfelid.org.

The need for the WFA To the question, “Do we need this organiza-tion?” our answer is a resounding “Yes!” Those involved in felid research, management, or con-servation are already aware of the important structural and functional roles felids play in wild ecosystems. But managing and conserving wild felid populations poses significant challenges. For example, human population growth and activity impacts wild felid populations through direct mortality and indirectly through habitat loss and fragmentation. In the next 25 years, the human population in the western U.S. alone is projected to increase by 36%; in Brazil (already with the largest human population in Latin America) it will increase by 26%. Although an-nual population growth in Mexico has slowed to around 1% in the past 5 years, the popula-tion is slowly decentralizing, likely meaning more contact, and conflict, between people and wild felids. Climate change presents another significant challenge to the management and conservation of wild felids (see this issue’s cover article by John Seidensticker). Managers must

also incorporate the diverse public values towards felids into man-agement and conservation policy (see Jerry Apker’s article, page 12, on changes in mountain lion hunter education requirements and management policy in Colorado prompted by both hunter and ad-vocacy groups). Reducing the risks felids may pose to people and property, as well as understanding their positive economic impacts (e.g., through hunting and tourism) and other possible negative impacts (e.g., their effects on endangered or isolated prey popula-tions) are also important concerns.

As a consequence, continued viability of wild felid populations and mitigation of human-wild felid conflicts demand interdisciplin-ary cooperation and communication among researchers, managers, land-use planners, educators, conservationists, and members of the public. Because no professional association in the Western Hemi-sphere provides a conduit for such cooperation and communica-tion, we formed the WFA to fill this role.

What the WFA offersThe WFA’s objectives are to facilitate communication and col-laboration across scientific disciplines and among agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and other interested par-ties. We promote research of the highest scientific and professional standards; sound stewardship of wild felids through science-based knowledge of their populations and habitat; and public awareness and understanding of the status, ecology, conservation, and manage-ment of wild felids. Through our newsletter, and increasingly our website, we will offer venues where researchers and managers can

WFA Board News

(From the President, from page 1)

WFA Founding Board from left: Gary Koehler, Chris Belden, John Beecham, Hugh Robinson (front), Chris Papouchis, Rich DeSimone, Ron Thompson, Sharon Negri, Donny Martorello (former director), Deanna Dawn, Linda Sweanor

Wild Felid Monitor: Winter 2007-08: Vol 1, Issue 1 3

Board News


communicate, share information, and find links to key resources, technologies and tools. The WFA also plans to provide counsel and advice on policy issues, translation of technical information into popular literature and other media, conferences, workshops, and peer-reviewed proceedings, and scholarships and grants for felid research, management and education. As a networking orga-nization, the WFA intends to work with other science-based felid associations to our mutual benefit and the benefit of wild felids. Similarities among species, as well as in the problems they face, are clear. We can all learn from each other.

How you can get involvedMember involvement is paramount to making this association suc-cessful. Please consider becoming a member of the WFA. A mem-bership form and survey can be found on pages 25-26 of this issue. Please be sure to fill out the survey and indicate in what areas you would be willing to assist or advise the WFA. The survey informa-tion will be placed in a database and allow the WFA to tap the knowledge and skills of its membership. For more information on how you can help the WFA please see page 28.

Individuals that are interested in having an impact on this orga-nization at this early stage and in maintaining the professional nature of the organization are encouraged to join as members and to run for office. The WFA will be composed of a voting member-ship; consequently, our status as board members is temporary. We are currently searching for individuals interested in serving on the WFA board and hope to have an elected board in place starting 2009. Details on board positions and duties, as well as on submit-ting nominations will be provided on the WFA web site.

One of the best ways for members to contribute and communicate is through the Wild Felid Monitor. We encourage members to submit timely articles and news items to the newsletter; submis-sion guidelines can be found on page 7 and on the WFA website. The newsletter is comprised of several sections including (but not limited to) feature articles, research updates, management actions, technology reviews, changes in species status, recent publications, grant opportunities, and upcoming events. Members are also encouraged to submit letters and opinions; these will be printed based on timeliness and space availability.

Please contact us with questions or comments about the news-letter at [email protected].

Individually we strive to improve our knowledge and management of wild felids. Imagine what we can accomplish as a team!

© Susan C. Morse

(From the President, from page 3) DedicationThis autumn we were forced to say goodbye to two esteemed colleagues, Rocky Spencer and Eric York, who died in tragic circumstances doing what they loved most, studying and con-serving wildlife. Both were skilled, passionate, and dedicated professionals and well-respected colleagues who each made important contributions to the study and conservation of wild felids. This inaugural issue of the Wild Felid Monitor is dedi-cated to them.

At the request of his family, memorial contributions for Rocky Spencer can be made to:

Rocky Spencer Memorial Scholarship Fund, Community •Foundation for Southwest Washington 1053 Officers Row Vancouver, WA 98661 (360) 694-2550, www.cfsww.org, con-tact Max Kamp (360) 577-9001, [email protected]

Rocky Spencer Memorial Fund, Wind River Bear Institute, •PO Box 1299, Florence, MT 59833, www.beardogs.org

Western Washington University Foundation/Rocky Spencer •Memorial, MS-9034, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9842

http://rockyspencermemorial.org

At the request of his family, memorial contributions for Eric York can be made to:

Felidae Conservation Fund, 14 Cove Road, Belvedere, CA •94920, www.felidaefund.org

The Wildlands Fund, Division of Massachusetts Fish and •Wildlife, attention Julie, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westboro, MA 01581

Grand Canyon Association, attention Brad Wallace, P.O. •Box 399, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023, www.grandcanyon.org

In MemoryRocky Spencer - Friend and Colleague for Cougars

While capturing bighorn sheep in the Yakima Canyon of Washington State, Rocky Spencer, a passionate and dedicated manager, researcher, and advocate for wildlife, was killed in an ac-cident during a helicopter flight. Rocky was employed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for almost three decades, and he and the pilot were considered the ‘best of the best’ he-licopter capture team in the Pacific Northwest. The team was a precision capture machine, as I discovered while working with them during research of American black bears in Washington.

Rocky’s passion and dedication was keenly focused on cougars. He began studies of cougars nearly two decades ago, investigating their movements and use of space on the west slope of the Cascades. Recently, Rocky led a study in his Cascade Mountain backyard to investigate how cougars use habitats that were rapidly being transformed from rural woodlots to residential ha-vens. As part of a research and community outreach program known as Project CAT (Cougars

and Teaching), Rocky led middle and high school students into their backyards to capture and mark cougars with GPS collars. Community members and newspaper and television reporters trailed as well, to witness and document these excursions. Rocky was a master teacher of students and of television audiences. His message was simple: we can live and recreate in cougar country if we understand cougars and man-age our own behavior as well as managing cougars.

Those of us who have worked with cougars in the Western U.S. knew Rocky and his contributions. Rocky’s independent (ask those who supervised him) and innovative character helped tailor the Department’s message to effectively manage people and cougars to promote coexistence. Rocky was an advisor and mentor to all of us who cared about wildlife, and in particular those of us who cared about cougars and their management. He will be sorely missed.

-- Gary M. Koehler, Wildlife Research Scientist , Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Remembering Eric York

It is very hard to write about Eric in the past tense, because I am so unwilling to admit he is not here. I know a lot of folks who feel the same. This is just not right. But we only get one chance to say our words about a departed friend, so I will do what others are doing and share why he meant what he did to so many of us.

I met Eric at U-Mass in the late 1990s. We studied under the same professor, he doing his masters and me a Ph.D. I was a lot older than Eric, so I should have been able to teach the kid something. But it was the other way around from the start. The first thing he helped me with was building trap cameras for my snow leopard and bear research in Mongolia, something he and others had perfected for fisher and other critters in Massachusetts. I could tell he wanted to go set the cameras himself in Mongolia, he had a serious itch to see places like that. My time with him at Amherst was brief and I headed back overseas. We ran into each other here and there, or emailed now and then, but it wasn’t until a mutual friend, Zara McDonald, suggested Eric as someone who could run our snow leopard collaring program in Pakistan for us. I didn’t hesitate to jump on that idea, knowing we could find no one better.

In Pakistan it was a lot like at U-Mass, this old snow leopard biologist was ready to give Eric some pointers. But it took about an hour for Eric to again become the teacher and he changed a lot of our methods, much for the better. He caught the cats with skill and compassion, and trained several Pakistani biologists in the process. He was a natural teacher. I think it was partly because Eric didn’t “do” wildlife biology, he lived it.

Eric, my carhart-clad friend and teacher, I wasn’t done learning from you yet. We had some work (and hunting) to do. My trip to Grand Canyon got set back too long, for that I will always be sorry.

The next cat is for you. Travel well my friend.

-- Tom McCarthy, Science and Conservation Director, Snow Leopard Trust


Credit: Felidae Conservation Fund


Voices

Unlike Way Kambas, the temperate deciduous and boreal forests of the Russian Far East (RFE) are extensive. We have estimated there is 269, 979 km² in the RFE-China Tiger Conservation Landscape (Dinerstein et al. 2006); the largest habitat patch is 183,237 km². The area of land actually occupied by the remaining 500 or so Amur tigers is about 160,000 km² (Miquelle et al. 1999). . Like Way Kambas, the region is severely threatened by wild fires that appear to peak during El Nino events, and are expected to intensify with global warming. Tatiana Loboda is modeling the “Impacts of climate and land use change on wildfire frequencies and the Amur tiger” for her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland. This is one part of a major joint Univer-sity of Maryland, University of Virginia, and Wildlife Conservation Society project funded by NASA.

With global warming, scientists are finding Amur tigers living further north than they have in past (A. Kulikov, person comm. 2007). Ti-gers adjust their range occupancy in response to that of their primary prey — deer, especially red deer, and wild pigs. The distributions of deer and pigs and tigers is thought to be related to winter snow depth (Miquelle 1999), which appears to be decreasing.

We find big cats moving north following the deer in North America. Ramona Maraj, senior carnivore biologist for the Yukon Department of Environment Yukon, tells me they are sighting cougars more often in the southern Yukon as they see increasing numbers of white-tailed and mule deer responding to climate warming in the Yukon (person. comm. 2006). We expect Canada lynx to change their range in re-sponse to warming climate. Nils Stenseth et al. (2004) modeled how differential snow conditions, such as surface hardness determined by the frequencies of warm spells, influenced lynx interactions with the snowshoe hare. Variation in snow conditions are influenced by North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-linked periodicity. Changes in the NAO in periodicity and intensity will alter spatial, ecological, and genetic structuring of the lynx population, Stenseth et al. (2004) predict.

The tigers living in the 10,000 km² Sundarbans mangrove forests will probably not survive the expected rise in sea level with global warming. This forest is the interface where the great riv-ers Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna join the Bay of Bengal. But the Sundarbans will also be negatively impacted by changes in glacier and snow melt in the Himalayas. Himalayan glaciers, only exceeded by the polar ice in volume, are of-ten called the water towers of the Ganges plain, are melting as a consequence of global warming. This is of course a concern for all the people living on the Ganges plain. It is also of great concern for those interested in the conservation of snow leopards, the cat of high altitude Himalaya and central Asia. Changes in river hydrology with re-duced runoff will impact the forests and elephant

grasslands found along the outer range of the Himalayas, in the Shivalik Hills, and the associated narrow strips of lowland forests in the bhabar and the terai. This is a 49,000 km² Tiger Conservation Landscape stretching 1000 km from Corbett National Park in India to Chitwan National Park in Nepal (Dinerstein et al. 2006), parts of which were so artfully described by Jim Corbett.

As we have seen from these examples, depending on the species of wild cat there will be loss of critical habitats and range fragmentations, contractions, and expansion resulting from climate change. We have no choice but to learn to live with and work with these changes. I sus-pect most wild cats will not fare well, but we know so little about most wild cat species that making predictions is speculation. I do think we can confidently predict that the domestic cat will be just fine.

ReferencesDinerstein, E., et al. 2007. The fate of wild tigers. BioScience

57:508-514Franklin, N. 2002. Conservation Biology of the Sumatran Tiger in

Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. PhD disserta-tion, University of York (UK).

Miquelle., D. G., et al. 1999. Hieratical spatial analysis of Amur tiger relationships to habitat and prey. Pages 71-99 in J. Seidensticker, S. Christie, and P. Jackson, eds. Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conser-vation in Human-dominated Landscapes. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Stenseth, N. C., et al. 2005. Snow conditions may create an invisible barrier for lynx. PNAS 101:10632-10634 §

(Wild Cats and climate change, from page 1)

Kodkod (Guigna) (Oncifelis guigna) © Jim Sanderson

Board News

Seeking Submissions to the Wild Felid Monitor

The Wild Felid Monitor strives to be a premier source of information on research, management and conservation of wild felids in the western hemisphere. Our success is dependent on contributions from professionals like you.

Please contact us with questions or comments about the newsletter at [email protected].

The Wild Felid Monitor is currently soliciting letters, articles and other information for the 2nd issue, due out in Summer of 2008.

Prospective contributors should consider, but not be limited to, the following areas:

Perspectives on research, management and conservation of •wild felidsResearch updates and new projects•Technology and methodology reviews•Changes in management policies•Species status•Recent publications•Grant opportunities •Upcoming events•

Submissions of about 750 words are preferred.

Pictures, graphics and other illustrations

are always welcome.

DEADLINE FOR SUMMER 2008

ISSUE IS MARCH 5, 2008!

Submissions and questions should be sent to:

[email protected]

or by mail

Wild Felid Monitor, WFA, PO Box 3335, Montrose, CO 81402-3335

Learn about the WFA and meet the Board

May 5 in Sun Valley, Idaho at the

9th Mountain Lion Workshop

The WFA directors are meeting at the Sun Valley Inn on Monday, May 5th, prior to the Mtn Lion Workshop (see announcement page 24.) At 3 PM we will be holding an informational meeting in the Columbine Room that is open to all persons interested in learning more about and becoming involved in the WFA. Please join us.

Graduate Scholarship Opportunity

Kaplan Awards Program - Panthera Foundation

The Kaplan Awards Program is a scholarship program that sup-ports the conservation efforts of young biologists working on wild felids in situ. The Panthera Foundation encourages applications for projects on all wild cat species in all regions. Awards are for one year but may be extended to subsequent years, contingent upon performance and results. The Kaplan Awards Program is designed to support projects on wild cats with a conservation fo-cus and must include a significant in situ component. Applicants MUST be post-graduates pursuing a higher degree (MSc. or PhD or equivalent).

Next deadline: 1st March 2008

Please consider the following restrictions before submitting your proposal:

Organizations are not eligible for funding.•Faculty and/or research advisors should not be listed as prin-•cipal investigators unless they plan to carry out the majority of the field work.The principal researcher must write the proposal: applications •written on behalf of another individual will not be allowed.

Application and sample proposal available at

http://www.panthera-foundation.org

Contact Information:

Nicole WilliamsProgram Assistant, Great Cats ProgramWildlife Conservation Society- International2300 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10460Email: [email protected]


The WFA’s Geographic FocusWild Cats of the Western Hemisphere

OncillaLeopardus tigrinus

W: 1.5-2.8 kg Red List: NT

BobcatLynx rufus

W: 4-19 kgRed List: LC

MargayLeopardus wiedii

W: 3-4 kgRed List: NT

JaguarPanthera onca

W: 31-121 kgRed List: NT

Pampas catOncifelis colocolo

W: 1.7-3.7 kgRed List: NT

Geoffrey’s CatOncifelis geoffroyi

W: 2.6-6.5 kgRed List: NT

Andean Mountain CatOrealurus jacobitus

W: 4-5 kgRed List: End

PumaPuma concolor

W: 25 -80 kgRed List: LC

JaguarundiHerpailurus yagyarondi

W: 3.5-7 kgRed List: LC

KodkodOncifelis guigna

W: 1.5-2.8 kgRed List: V

OcelotLeopardus pardalis

W: 6.6-16 kgRed List: LC

Canada LynxLynx canadensis

W: 5-18 kgRed List: LC

Sources: Sunquist and Sunquist. 2002. Wild Cats of the World. University of Chicago Press and IUCN Red List (see Sanderson page 9).


Board News


Prioritizing Conservation aCtion and Funding For the Felidae

Jim Sanderson: Small Wild Cat Conservation FoundationIUCN Cat Specialist Group, [email protected]

In an ideal world more funding would be directed at those cats that are Critically Endangered and less to those that are Least Concern.

Our world is less than ideal.

In 1994, the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Council adopted a repeatable system with measurable factors that could be applied by different experts for classifying species at high risk of extinction. The IUCN is a union of states, government agencies, and non-government organizations concerned with species conservation. The IUCN Red List categories and criteria are used today to classify a broad range of threatened species. Political boundaries are ignored by wild animals and hence by the IUCN. All extant species and many subspecies of cats are listed in order of conservation concern as Critically Endan-gered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, and Least Concern. The Red List aids in prioritizing conservation efforts (I know I am dreaming right).

The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is one of six volunteer com-mittees of the IUCN. SSC’s mission is to “conserve biological diversity by developing and executing programmes to save, restore, and wisely manage species and their habitats.” The IUCN SSC’s Cat Special-ist Group is a group of scientists and educators considered to be the world’s leading wild cat authorities. Many volunteer their time and expertise to update the Red List for cats. In September 2007, a two-day Red List workshop for the Felidae hosted by a local conservation organization WildCRU took place at Oxford University. Scientists from all over the globe convened to assess the present status of all the

world’s wild cats [see Events page 6]. Participants divided into three groups representing biogeographic regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, and Eurasia.

The 2002 Red List is shown in Table 1. Those species in bold were reassessed at the 2007 workshop to the next category of greater con-cern. Those species in italics were reassessed to a lesser threat category. Note that the Clouded leopard was recently split into a mainland and island (Borneo and Sumatra) species. Though each remained Vulner-able, the Bornean and Sumatran Clouded leopards are each Endan-gered. This is also true of several leopard and pampas cat subspecies.

Together the 2002 and 2008 Red Lists show a very clear trend: cats in the Americas and Africa are doing relatively well compared to those in Southeast Asia. Africa has no seriously endangered cats! The An-dean cat remains the most threatened cat in the Americas and the only cat that is Endangered in our hemisphere. Remarkably, the di-minutive guigna (or kodkod), nearly a Chilean endemic, is the only cat listed as Vulnerable in the Americas. The majority, 10 species, are of lesser concern. The three cats found in the northern Americas are all now Least Concern.

The Red List is presumed to be the guiding compass for global con-servation action. However, it is clear to even the most casual observer that far more funding goes into more charismatic species than into lesser known species, and rich nations invest far more on their own species than they do on others in more need beyond their borders. For instance, one need only compare the extensive funding directed to conserving tigers and snow leopards to that provided to the equally endangered Andean cat ($100 K/year) and the Bornean endemic bay cat ($10 K/year). Indeed, how can so many $M be invested in ocelots, the most common spotted cat in the Americas, or jaguars, while ab-solutely none is invested in the guigna that is more threatened and has the smallest geographic range of any cat species? The leopard cat

(a rodent specialist) is the most common spotted cat in Asia and is easily seen in most oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia. Similarly, the Serval, another rodent specialist, is very commonly observed in East Africa. In contrast the bay cat, found only on Borneo, is known from just 28 skins and camera trap photographs. The former are Least Concern while the bay cat is Endangered. I’ll leave it to you to see which are included to receive funding in the Great Cats and Rare Canids bill soon to come up for a vote in the US Congress.

If conservation really is our shared re-sponsibility then it is incumbent upon us to ensure that scarce conservation re-sources reach those species most in need no matter where they live or how big or small the cats are. Ask yourself just where you stand. §

Voices

Table 1. The 2002 Red list. Preliminary results of the 2008 workshop show species in bold and italic were reassessed to a different category as indicated by the arrow.

Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable Near Threatened Least concern

Iberian lynx Andean cat African golden cat > Geoffrey’s cat bobcat

bay cat Asiatic golden cat > jaguar Canada lynx

snow leopard black-footed cat Eurasian lynx caracal

tiger cheetah Pallas’ cat jaguarundi

Chinese mountain cat oncilla (tigrina) jungle cat

clouded leopard pampas cat leopard

< fishing cat puma > leopard cat

< flat-headed cat sand cat < margay

guigna (kodkod) ocelot

lion serval

marbled cat wildcat

rusty-spotted cat

10

ConFerenCe rePort

Felid Biology and Conservation ConFerenCe

September 17 - 21, 2007, Oxford, England

This past September, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit of Oxford University hosted the Felid Biology and Conserva-

tion Conference. The meeting was a focused effort to bring together researchers and others working to study and conserve wild felids around the world. In addition to presenting research results, the con-ference created a unique forum for the exchange of ideas relating to a single taxonomic family. Approximately 300 people attended, in-cluding many of the world’s top felid researchers, as well as manag-ers, conservationists and other interested individuals. Following the conference, individual IUCN workshops were held to update current information on the conservation status of the worlds 36 felid species (see page 5).

The conference spanned 3 days and included concurrent sessions in general ecology, genetics, systematics & morphology, felids & people, behaviour, conservation & management, tools & methods, and up-dates from the field. Over 150 oral and poster presentations were de-livered by people from every continent where felids occur. The talks took place at Oxford University, many being presented in the Oxford Museum of Natural History.

One universal theme was clear: Felids are in decline due in large part to conflict with humans. The conflicts noted includ-ed pet and livestock depredation, habitat loss and fragmenta-tion, indiscriminate poaching, accidental death and illegal harvest for trade in traditional Chinese medicine. Regulated trophy hunting was also discussed but tended to focus on com-mon African species (lion, leopard), or those from Europe and North America (Eurasian lynx, puma).

A broad spectrum of research methods being used to study wild felids were discussed, and included radio-telemetry, pop-ulation viability analysis, GIS-based habitat modeling, human attitudes surveys, genetic profiling and track surveys. Notably, the use of camera trapping (either alone or in conjunction with other methods) has become widespread, and presenters high-lighted its value for studying Sumatran tigers, clouded leop-ards, snow leopards, ocelots and jaguars, to name a few species. Less well known methods were also discussed, such as the use of dogs for monitoring Amur tiger populations.

The various challenges inherent in felid research were also discussed. The lack of sufficient and appropriate funding was repeatedly cited as a significant hindrance to research and conservation efforts. Lack of public understanding regarding critical issues in felid conservation was also noted, as were an-thropogenic factors that indirectly affect research efforts, such as poaching. As WildCru’s Andrew Loveridge pointed out, humans have a seemingly ambiguous relationship with many felid species that covers the gamut from reverence to disdain.

Unfortunately, the latter often appears to have the stronger influence on research.

Some of the research presented at the conference will be profiled in an upcoming publication edited by David Macdonald which focuses on felid research and ecology. This is a sister volume to the book Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids edited by Macdonald and Sillero-Zubiri (2004).

The meeting was sponsored by the Panthera Foundation and the IUCN Cat Specialist Group. The Panthera Foundation is a recently formed organization founded by philanthropist and Oxford gradu-ate Thomas Kaplan. The goal of the organization is to promote the conservation of wild felids through support of rigorous science based research, planning and implementation of conservation action and protecting landscapes to help maintain contiguous populations. Over the past year, this foundation has awarded 30 scholarships to graduate students working on felid conservation projects (see page 4).

The conference program and abstracts can be downloaded at http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/meetings/felids_2007_ox-ford.pdf

– Deanna Dawn, [email protected]

Participants at Felid Biology and Conservation Conference Credit: Andrew Harrington


Board News

ConFerenCe rePort

Canada lynx on the Border: BiologiCal and PolitiCal realities For Conservation Planning

October 24 to 27, 2007Grand Portage, Minnesota, USA

The management and conservation of most wild felid species is complicated by the fact that few reside solely within a single na-

tional jurisdiction. This is true for the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). Occupying the boreal forests of North America the distribution of lynx not only straddles the borders of states and provinces, but the international border of Canada and United States. In the contigu-ous United States the lynx is federally listed as Threatened, while in Alaska and Canada they are managed mostly as a renewable resource and are trapped for their pelts.

A workshop “Canada Lynx on the Border: Biological and Political Realities for Conservation Planning”, gathered researchers, managers, conservationists, and forest industry representatives from Canada and the lynx range in the U.S. to discuss aspects of trans-border man-agement and conservation of lynx. As a first step, the workshop pre-sented a venue for participants to share concerns and research find-ings on lynx behavior and demography, their prey and habitat. The workshop was supported by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Portage Indian Reservation, and Grand Portage National Monument.

Changing resource demands and forest management practices as well as projections of global climate and economic changes sets an uncertain stage for the future of lynx in the southern portions of their range. State of the art tools, including Global Positioning Satellite col-lars for monitoring lynx movements and use of habitats, Geographic

Information System mapping of lynx range and dispersal patterns, and genetic investigations of their populations’ promises for a better understanding of landscape connectivity and population relation-ships needed to manage these border populations.

More information on workshop presentations and participants can be obtained @ http://www.nrri.umn.edu/lynx or by contacting Ron Moen ([email protected]) at the Center for Water and Environ-ment, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth, MN.

– Gary Koehler, [email protected]

ManageMent neWs

Trapping in Maine restricted to protect threatened Canada lynx

A federal lawsuit in Maine aimed at protecting threatened Canada lynx has ended in a settlement in which Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife signed a consent decree to restrict trapping in the northern part of the state. The suit, brought by the Animal Protection Institute, argued that the state was liable under the Endangered Species Act for allowing trappers to use traps that take and sometimes kill lynx in traps sets intended for other species.

The Portland Press Herald (Oct 5, 2007) reported that, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 34 lynx have been caught by trappers in Maine since 1999, including 25 since 2004. Of these, 2 lynx have died.

The settlement came after a hearing in which the presiding judge appeared to be weighing in favor of the plaintiff, saying “I don’t think anyone here is accusing anybody of deliberately trapping lynx, but if trappers are going out ... and they accidentally or inadvertently take lynx, then that is a violation of the Endangered Species Act.”

In the consent decree, the state agreed to:Ban foothold or leghold traps with jaws that open more than 53/8 •inches in core lynx habitat.Require killer-type (Conibear) traps used in core lynx habitat to •be set at least 4 ft above ground or snow level, and be affixed to a pole or tree that is at an angle of 45 degrees or greater to the ground and that is no greater than 4 in diameter at 4 ft above the ground or snow level.Restrict the use of cage traps in core lynx habitat; exception is •made for wildlife research and survey activities.Monitor and report cases of trapped lynx, and rehabilitate •injured lynx.

The department passed an emergency rule to make the changes effective for the trapping season that started in October.


Gary Koehler studying Canada lynxCredit: Gary Koehler

Board News


Mountain lion ManageMent and hunter eduCation in Colorado

Jerry A. Apker, Carnivore Biologist, Colorado Division of Wildlife, [email protected]

Commencing with the 2007-2008 mountain lion (Puma concolor) hunting season all Colorado mountain lion hunters must take the Mountain Lion Education and Identification Course and pass an attendant exam. The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW)’s primary goal in implementing this requirement is to reduce hunting mortality on female mountain lions in areas where the management objective is to maintain a stable or growing mountain lion population. A secondary goal, as a social consideration, is to hold mountain lion hunters to a high standard of knowledge regarding their quarry. The course and exam are available on CDOW’s website at http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/HunterEducation/MtnLionEduc.

Development of the course and exam was a collaborative process with agency managers, scientists, and advocacy groups. The course covers information on lion biology, physiology, and behavior; reasons for determining lion gender during a hunt; distinguishing male from female lions; CDOW lion management objectives; Colorado laws and regulations pertaining to lion hunting; and making informed choices.

While the course and exam are directed towards lion hunters, any-one can participate. Hunters taking the exam are prompted to enter identifying information and upon completing the exam with a pass-ing score, the CDOW database automatically updates their record. A numbered certificate can be printed as back up documentation. The CDOW licensing system blocks the sale of a mountain lion license if the purchaser has not passed the exam. Non-hunter citizens may take the course and exam and if they pass they may print a non-numbered certificate.

To understand the genesis of this education effort, we must look at some manage-ment history. Since the late 1970s either-sex lion licenses have been avail-able to hunters in unlim-ited numbers, but harvest amounts are restricted by a quota within geographic areas called game manage-ment units (GMUs). This system optimizes hunter opportunity while con-straining hunting mortal-ity. Colorado lion quotas rose gradually from 1980 through 1986, then more rapidly through the 1990s to a peak of 794 in 1999 before leveling out at 790 from 2001 through 2004 (Fig. 1).

Until 2001 CDOW did not have defined management plans for lion Data Analysis Units (DAUs), which encompass several GMUs, and therefore did not have defined goals or objectives for hunt and non-hunt mortality. As originally conceived, quotas may have represented desired harvest objectives, but absent well-defined management plans what quotas represented was likewise not well defined. It was a maxi-mum harvest limit, but it had become so high that it would rarely be filled in almost all GMUs, mostly due to hunting conditions such as snow cover, winter access conditions, and availability of hounds-men. Consequently, lion hunting in Colorado in most cases was not limited by quotas.

Without a clear expression of what quotas represented, interest groups formed their own definitions, with most perceiving it as CDOW’s desired harvest level. Looking at annual harvests in relation to this interpretation, most interest groups concluded that CDOW’s lion management was failing, but for very different reasons. Generally, environmental and species advocacy interests sensed failure because they believed the quota, being a desired harvest level, was too high and biologically indefensible. Conversely, traditional consumptive interests generally concluded that CDOW was far missing the mark and under-harvesting an available resource.

By 2002, internal interest in closely examining our lion management approaches reached an apex and fit well with increasing scrutiny of CDOW lion management by external interest groups. Persistently rising hunter harvest coupled with increasing quotas (Fig. 1) and an increasing trend in the percentage of females in hunter harvest (Fig. 2) throughout the 1990s fueled a spectrum of interest groups to become more attentive to lion management issues. Agency personnel, hunt-ing interests, and species advocacy interests were concerned about the consequences to lion populations and lion hunting in the face of the foregoing information. Houndsmen and hunters pressed the agency to more aggressively defend lion hunting, often citing their sense that the agency failed to defend their interests when citizen initiatives

Management News

C O L O R A D O D I V I S I O N O F W I L D L I F E

Mountain Lion Educationand Identification Course

COLORAD O DIVISION OF WILDLIFE6060 Broadway • Denver CO 80216

(303) 297-1192 • www.wildlife.state.co.us

Figure 1. Mountain lion hunting quotas and number of male and female mountain lions in Colorado hunting mortality, 1980 through 2007 hunting seasons.

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Management News

arose regarding trapping and black bear hunting in the preceding decade. Environmental advocacy groups pressed the agency to have a more credible scientific basis to justify management decisions and pressed a public campaign based mostly on emotional appeals about offspring orphaned by sport hunters seeking trophies.

This growing interest led to an effort to revise, update, and bolster lion DAU plans. In 2004, the revision process was conducted in a collaborative manner with hunting and environmental interests. Through public workshops, soliciting comments, and using internet mechanisms, CDOW paid close attention to concerns and interests of diverse groups, avoiding disenfranchisement of any group. Con-fronted with management of a species for which there is little cred-ible and timely information about population status and trend, the DAU revisions emphasized a relatively conservative approach.

Three outcomes of the DAU revisions include: New DAU plans, with defined goals and objectives.•Quota reductions. “quota” has been dropped in favor of “harvest •limit” to more accurately reflect that these are the maximum amount of harvest that CDOW considers tolerable in any single year. In contrast, harvest objectives are the level of annual take considered sustainable by CDOW.Female mortality reductions. With support from houndsmen •and outfitters, beginning in 2005 CDOW asked lion hunters to refrain from taking female lions in DAUs managed for a stable or increasing population. Colorado lion hunters responded positively, reducing female harvests from 44% on average (2000-2004) to 36% on average (2005-’06/’07) (Fig. 2).

Although management changes were generally well accepted, some constituents did not feel that voluntary efforts to reduce female harvest went far enough. In late 2005, Sinapu (a species advocacy group) and the Colorado Outfitters Association (a hunter services group) petitioned the Wildlife Commission to establish a required lion hunter education course. After deliberation, the Wildlife Com-mission directed agency staff to develop a required education course, available via the internet. While CDOW staff, Colorado Outfitters,

Canada lynx reintroduCtion in Colorado: an uPdate

Tanya Shenk, Wildlife Researcher, Colorado Division of Wildlife, [email protected] Kahn, Wildlife Biologist, CDOW, [email protected]

The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) began planning the lynx reintroduction program in 1997; lynx from Alaska and Canada were released in Colorado’s southern mountains starting in 1999. Most lynx were fitted with radio telemetry collars. A total of 218 lynx have been reintroduced and have produced at least 116 lynx kit-tens in Colorado: 16 kittens in 2003; 39 kittens in 2004; 50 kittens in 2005; 11 kittens in 2006; 0 kittens in 2007. Trapping operations during winter 2006-07 indicated that adult animals were in good physical condition but that kitten survival was low. No lynx releases occurred in 2007 or are planned for 2008 because of the low repro-duction rates in 2006 and 2007. CDOW biologists estimate that approximately 125 cats are presently alive.

CDOW biologists and researchers believe that the recent lack of lynx reproduction is most likely due to a decline in snowshoe hare numbers. A decline in the number of snowshoe hares might be part of a natural cycle in hare abundance. However, no formal studies have been conducted to determine if snowshoe hare populations fluctuate in Colorado. To learn more about hare ecology, the agency started a study in early 2006. Initial results will be available this fall. Rick Kahn, lead biologist for the reintroduction effort, is hopeful that the current lynx population is large enough to withstand a lack of reproduction for 2-3 years. The agency will continue their intensive monitoring efforts and data analysis and wait to see what happens next year.

The lynx reintroduction program is funded by the CDOW, private donations and Great Outdoors Colorado which receives its funding through the Colorado State Lottery.

Find out more on CDOW website at http://wildlife.state.co.us

Figure 2. Percent females in Colorado mountain lion hunting mortal-ity, 1980 through 2007 hunting seasons.

and Sinapu believed that voluntary hunter efforts to reduce female harvest would likely succeed, the two interest groups also sought a so-cial outcome. For environmental groups, the education requirement acknowledges the mountain lions’ special status as a top carnivore. For hunter/outfitter groups, the requirement demonstrates a willingness to contribute to a high standard of management, dedication to their sport and the animal they pursue, and is an important defense of lion hunting.

The education requirement has not changed our approach toward voluntary efforts to reduce female lion mortality. We continue to ask hunters to refrain from killing females, but we also leave this an indi-vidual choice. We believe that the education requirement will aid us in achieving our management goals and serves constituent goals as well. §


Notes From The Field

PrediCting the eFFeCts oF Forest

ManageMent on lynx PoPulations

John R. Squires, Wildlife Research Biologist, Rocky Mtn. Res. Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, P. O. Box 8089 Missoula, MT 59807 (406) 542-4164, [email protected]

Lynx are quintessential snowshoe hare predators with morpho-logical adaptations such as large paws, long legs and light bone

structure for hunting in deep snow. This species depends on boreal forests, so the listing of Canada Lynx as a Threatened species is a ma-jor conservation issue to forest managers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated that hu-man alteration of forest abundance, composi-tion, and connectivity was the most influential factor affecting lynx habitat (Federal Register 63(130):36994-37013). Yet, we do not understand how forest structure and landscape pattern im-pact the ecology of southern lynx populations. Thus, land managers lack the empirical basis for predicting the positive and negative effects of forest management on lynx populations.

In 1998, the USFS Rocky Mountain Re-search Station initiated research at Seeley Lake, Montana that was designed to address these pressing information needs. In 2002, we expanded our study areas to include the Garnet Range. We then added the Purcell Mountains north of Libby, Montana as third study area in 2003 (Fig. 1). To date, we have radio collared 114 lynx on all study areas combined.

Our research topics have changed through the years as we accomplished old objectives and identify new research needs and questions. We initially used conventional telemetry to study seasonal movements and habitat-use patterns of lynx relative to vegetation struc-ture, forest management, human disturbance, and prey abundance within forest stands. This involved back-tracking radio collared lynx for over 600 km during the winter to precisely plot their movements relative to habitat fea-tures. We also use radio telemetry to docu-ment summer habitat-use patterns in order to understand seasonal changes in habitat-use.

In 2002, Jay Kolbe, as part of his graduate re-search at the University of Montana, studied the effect of packed snow corridors on the competitive interactions between coyotes and lynx on the Seeley study area. This research was instrumental in helping agencies to ad-dress winter recreation in management plans,

and this work was recently published in Journal of Wildlife Manage-ment (2007) [see page 18]. In addition, we studied lynx den-site selec-tion as a hierarchical process based on 59 dens from 19 females that we located in western Montana. We considered den selection at 3 spatial scales including the den site, den stand, and den landscape (1 km ra-dius surrounding dens) and these results were also recently published in JWM (2007). Locating dens with young kittens also allowed us to document productivity that we are now using to model population viability. Other recently published topics include: seasonal changes in lynx activity patterns; food habits and prey selection; and the efficacy of using snow-track data to delineate locally lynx distributions.

Although fine-scale understandings of habi-tat use are vitally important to conserva-tion, they are not sufficient; we also need to understand how human actions may affect broad-scale movements/connectivity and habitat sustainability. By the end of this summer (2007), we expect to obtain about 70-90,000 highly-accurate (<35 m error) GPS relocations from 16 lynx from our 3 study areas. We programmed the collars to delineate movement paths that extend across 24-hr day cycles, both winter and summer. We are using these data to build

empirical models that predict how lynx tra-verse landscapes relative to habitat features. We hope this information will help highway

planners maintain population connectivity across western Montana. We are also using GPS data to delineate habitat-use polygons that represent a continuum (low–high use) of lynx use across broad land-scapes. This summer, we started to quantify vegetation and landscape characteristics at each polygon, so that we can then use silvicultural

models to project forest development through time. Thus, the goal of this research is to deter-mine how to sustain lynx habitat across broad landscapes for the long-term within a multi-use management context.

Studying lynx ecology is difficult and expensive. The continued success of our program is due to our many partnerships with state/federal agen-cies and industry. Initial financial support was provided almost exclusively by the Wildlife Ecology Unit of the Rocky Mountain Research Station located in Missoula, MT. However, this work has continued due to the contributions of the following important partners: Clearwater National Forest and Region 1 of the U. S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Federal Highway Administration, the Idaho Department of Transportation, Plum Creek Timber Company, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the University of Montana, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. §

Figure 1. Location of lynx study areas in western Montana, 1999–2006

Credit: Western Montana Lynx Study - USFS Rocky Mtn. Research Station

ProjeCto PuMa: studying and Conserving PuMa and jaguar in Brazil

Marcelo Mazzioli, Projecto Puma, R. Cristiano Brascher, 2080, Bairro Sta Helena, 88504-301 Lages – SC BRAZIL [email protected]

Projecto Puma was born as a research project in 1988 from the need to investigate the sudden livestock depredation that had been re-

peatedly reported, but so far unchecked, by environmental agencies in southern Brazil. Apparently the ‘timber cycle’ of native forest extrac-tion from 1940 to 1980 had left deep scars in the land, a legacy that included local extinctions and retraction of wildlife to a few secure refuges. After that, it was acknowledged by the government that the Atlantic Forest was one of the most endangered forests in the world, and it finally received full protection status that is still in effect. Al-though not officially monitored, a wildlife comeback was witnessed in some of the areas that had not been urbanized. Puma, which had been virtually absent from the extensive native grasslands of southern Brazilian tablelands, found the ecosystem occupied by herds of sheep numbering in the hundreds. Sheep herds very soon were reduced to what could fit in corrals during the night, a measure that guaranteed a fairly sustainable business—today herds are not found grazing unat-tended as they were in the past. Apparently we witnessed risk-avoid-ance behaviour, as puma would continually attack an unattended herd for several days or even weeks, while corralled livestock were only occasionally taken. Other evidence of risk-aversion was obtained from the higher frequency of puma approaching households during periods of intense drizzle and fog conditions.

We inferred that the risk and fear of at-tacking a herd near a household would only be counterweighted by a stronger force stemming from a reduction in prey availability in the environment. The fact that most attacks to livestock occurred during winter, when prey availability was lower, corroborated this hypothesis. These useful findings were incorporated in guidelines for environmental restora-tion. Also during our research the puma’s spreading distribution was recorded in

‘real time’ from depredation incidents, which were gradually reaching areas that had not had such incidents before. Today there is a community-based partnership to provide technical assistance to reduce livestock losses and also to reduce illegal harvesting of puma.

In 1993, Projecto Puma became a non-profit organization as a means to broaden

its initial scope and actions, with the aim of promoting conser-vation based on sound science. Since then, research focus has been on determinants of puma and jaguar distribution in south-ern Brazil. Two main projects are currently being undertaken, one in the tablelands that resulted in a preliminarily comparison of mammalian assemblages from different land use systems, and one in the coastal rainforest, aim-ing to maintain and restore relict populations of jaguars. We found puma to be quite persistent and still widespread in the tablelands and able to survive in large-scale, private landscapes that are covered with as little as 10% of native forest intermingled either with native grass-lands or with exotic forest plantations. A loss of environmental integ-rity had taken place anyway —mammals such as the giant-anteater, the maned-wolf, the tapir, and the white-lipped peccary are isolated and scattered in few remaining refugia. Reduction in the availability of prey, landscape modifications, and active persecution have caused the decline of the Atlantic Forest jaguar, which today may be consid-ered severely threatened with extinction (Fig. 1).

Projecto Puma has initiated volunteer research expeditions to the coast forest with the support of Biosphere Expeditions, and has cre-ated a network of information on puma and jaguar presence in the area. The initiative designed a logo (Fig. 2), and published its first re-port in which jaguar and puma habitats were preliminarily evaluated (available for download on the website). The expedition recorded a

reduced availability of prey for the large cats, and identified that illegal harvesting of palm heart needed to be restrained for wildlife restoration. Harvesters act illegally, poach-ing while remaining in the forest for several days until a sizable crop is collected. Today Projecto Puma is searching for international partnerships to establish a sustainable, much more profitable, and legal harvest of açaí fruit from the same palm tree. This will guarantee that harvesters, whose practice is currently il-legal, participate in the construction of a new history of conservation success. The partici-pation of volunteers in the research project was so gratifying that new jaguar expeditions to Brazil will take place and expeditions ad-dressing conservation needs of the last of the island tigers in Sumatra are being planned in partnership with local Indonesian institu-tions. §

On the web: http://uniplac.net/~puma/

Figure 1. Jaguars in Brazil’s Atlantic Coast Forest are isolated by several hundred kilometers from conti-nental populations. Continental range roughly drawn from Sanderson et al. (2002); Map, but not jaguar range, slightly modified from Leite & Galvão (2002).

Figure 2. Logo of the volunteer expedition initiative, stating ‘un-tamed territory program’ at the top




ProjeCt Cat: an exPeriMent in sCienCe and eduCation

Gary M. Koehler, Wildlife Research Scientist, Washington Depart-ment of Fish and Wildlife, [email protected]

An experiment in science and education is taking place in Project CAT (Cougars and Teaching), a marriage of dedicated public

school educators and agency scientists. The stage is rural Cle Elum on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in Washington. This is where teachers who wished to expose students to the wonders of their backyards, of which cougars were a part, and the intrigue and objec-tive discovery of the scientific process merged with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s desire to investigate how the states changing human demography, with 1 million new residents per de-cade, and rural development would affect wildlife and the potential for conflicts, particularly with Puma concolor.

Less than 90 miles and a timely commute to the working hub of Se-attle, new residents are attracted to Cle Elum’s rural atmosphere and touch of wilderness with elk, deer, and bears as neighbors. The land-scape is in transformation from a logging and mining community to a residential Valhalla: sunny skies, snowy peaks, pine forests, clear streams, wild animals, a new world class golf course, and unlimited outdoor recreational opportunities.

Evelyn Nelson, past Superintendent of the Cle Elum-Roslyn School District and passionate educator, sought was to engage students in learning science and becoming participants in the community’s dialogue during their rural-urban transition. Engag-ing students was the challenge. Evelyn’s ru-ral childhood science tutor was her father, a cougar bounty hunter during the 1940s and 1950s. Her father’s catch became an anatomy, behavior, and ecology laboratory. This edu-cation imprinted on Evelyn the importance of ‘hands-on learning’ for engaging students, which became the conceptual foundation for Project CAT. Cle Elum-Roslyn School students were to learn about their backyard, and the deer, elk, and cougars that reside there, and meld this natural history knowledge with the social and political issues that development was bringing to their community.

Margaret Tudor and Lynne Ferguson, educators and founders of the Pacific Education Institute, saw Project CAT as an opportunity for teachers to design a customized curriculum plan, using available re-sources, where field studies and the ‘hands-on learning’ would be the norm, not an educational treat. They worked to integrate the various aspects of Project CAT’s activities into classrooms from kindergarten to senior high, from art to science, building student’s outdoor inquiry skills through The NatureMapping Program with Project Learning Tree, Project WILD and Project WET.

John Pierce, Chief Scientist with the Wildlife Program at Washing-ton Department of Fish and Wildlife, saw Project CAT as an op-portunity to understand how wildlife, particularly cougars, might respond to the changes on their landscape brought by residential and recreational development. What we could glean from such an inves-tigation could help to craft strategies to perhaps minimize conflicts between cougars and humans in other areas of the state. John also saw an opportunity for a state agency to involve local communities as “citizen scientists”, training an army of volunteers to help collect scientific data to aid managers.

As Principle Investigator, I was to collaborate with the School District and Cle Elum community and conduct the science. I was somewhat apprehensive about this charge, wondering “Wow, how am I going to pull this off? Can you really do science with a bunch of kids in tow?” But science is a process of learning, why not involve students as lab partners to understand how cougars are adapting to these landscapes and social changes?

Six years into Project CAT we discovered cougars were indeed neigh-bors in this community. More than 150 students, teachers, and com-munity members have participated in capturing and marking these elusive neighbors, inspecting their dens, counting kittens, investi-gating more than 250 predation sites, conducting necropsies of dead cougars and reconstructing their skeleton, and learning about cougar

habitat and movements from more than 25,000 locations collected from 25 cougars fitted with GPS collars.

Students have become the science ambas-sadors and educators to the community; sharing their experiences and knowledge through ecological dioramas in their school hallways to PowerPoint presentations at community service clubs and town meet-ings, as well as international conferences.

Is Project CAT a success? As a scientific investigation, tracking cougars fitted with GPS collars is revealing how cougars are

adapting to changes on their landscape. As an education tool students experience the curiosity that drives scientific inquiry and the thrill of capturing and unraveling the life of these elusive predators. As an outreach experiment students have kept their families and commu-nity updated on the day-to-day activities of the cougars as well as the research team and, I believe, helped integrate our team into the com-munity where we would not be perceived as suspicious outsiders.

Including students into the research effort does require extra plan-ning and may at times slow our field activities, but it is outweighed by their service as community ambassadors and educators. We have discovered that yes indeed cougars and other wildlife can and do coexist within the community. Perhaps in the future it will be these students who as adults will investigate, deliberate, and decide on the policies that affect their community and their wildlife neighbors as their community continues to change. §


Credit: Gary Koehler


the Borderlands jaguar deteCtion ProjeCt: an intro

Jack Childs, Project Coordinator, BJDP, [email protected] Mc Cain, Project Biologist, BJDP, [email protected]

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is perhaps the most majestic, captivating, and intriguing, wild animal in the United States, where it occurs only in southern Arizona and extreme southwestern New Mexico. The jag-uar may also be the least understood Endangered Species in the U.S., and remains virtually unstudied in the northern extent of its range. Land and wildlife managers of the region desperately need informa-tion on the current status, distribution, and habitat requirements of the northernmost jaguar population in the Borderlands Region.

A resident jaguar population in Arizona is evident from the time of the earliest writings about the Southwest through the mid 1900s. Western expansion and predator control practices that came with a growing livestock industry greatly reduced or eliminated remaining populations, and the species was considered extirpated from the re-gion by the 1972 establishment of the Endangered Species Act, which did not protect the jaguar in the U.S. However, jaguar sightings (con-firmed by photographs or carcass remains) in 1971, 1986, and especial-ly two in 1996 drew considerable attention, and in 1997 the species was added to the Endangered Species list. Continued sightings since 2001 confirm a need for more information on the current population status to help determine appropriate conservation strategies.

The 57 historic jaguar records from Arizona not only indicate that a breeding population persisted at least into the 1940’s (McCain and Childs In Review), but these records have also been used to map areas of known jaguar occurrences and model potentially suitable jaguar habitats in Arizona (Boydston and Lopez Gonzalez 2005, Hatten et al. 2005). Roughly 30% of Arizona, primarily the mountains in the southeastern corner, appears to contain the characteristics of poten-tial jaguar habitat. While these maps show the most probable areas for jaguars to occur, they fail to determine the current status and true distribution, and therefore are limited in their contribution to appro-priate management and conservation efforts (Hatten et al. 2005).

The Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project is a grassroots organization dedicated to the research and conservation of the jaguar in the Bor-derlands Region and remains the only field research project on wild jaguars in the US. Following the recommendations of jaguar conserva-tion champion, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz (1997), we initiated a non-inva-sive study designed to monitor jaguars in the remote mountains along the border between southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico using trail cameras, and track/scat surveys. The project was founded in 2001 by lifelong Arizona outdoorsman, renowned tracker and wildlife author, Jack Childs, and expanded upon by wildlife biologist Emil McCain and tracker Janay Brun. Together we have maintained continuous monitoring of 9-44 cameras and track/scat transects from 2001-2007 and collected over 17,000 photographs of Arizona wildlife species, yielding valuable information on jaguars as well as 24 other species of native wildlife including exciting new predator/prey

behavioral interactions (McCain In Review). From the time of the 1996 Boboquiviri jaguar sighting, we have maintained tight collabo-ration and sharing of information with local landowners and local, state and federal land and wildlife management agencies through the integrative Arizona-New Mexico Jaguar Conservation Team in its pioneering approach to managing for the conservation of an En-dangered Species at the local and state level. So far, this project has documented two adult males and a possible third unidentified jag-uar with 69 photographs and 28 sets of tracks. One jaguar, originally photographed in 1996, was re-sighted 64 times during 2004-2007. This ≥13 year old male occupied two mountain complexes, covering a minimum observed “range” of 1359 km2. Despite previous beliefs that recent jaguars in the U.S. were dispersing transients on rare sporadic forays from Mexico, we documented jaguars in Arizona frequently, continuously and year-round and videotaped scent marking 76 km north of the U.S./Mexico border. Combined, these data indicate the residency of adult jaguars within Arizona.

The past successes of the project have begun to shape a new under-standing of the jaguar at the arid northern extent of its range and outlined key conservation concerns for the species in the Borderlands Region (McCain and Childs In review). Our findings suggest the per-sistence of a thinly distributed and wide-ranging jaguar population over the bioregional area from southern Arizona and New Mexico south through the mountains of eastern Sonora. The identification of core and connective habitats, including cross-border linkages, is es-sential for conservation actions to sustain this population.

The methodologies used and the abilities of the project personnel have been developed over the past six years, and we now propose to expand our research in duration and geographic coverage to comprehensively survey for the current status and distribution of jaguars across the Borderlands Region of southern Arizona. We have effectively sur-veyed approximately 12% of the areas identified as potentially suitable jaguar habitat in Arizona (Boydston and Lopez Gonzalez 2005, Hat-ten et al. 2005) and we have confirmed current jaguar presence in 2 of the 3 mountain range complexes surveyed. Five additional mountain ranges of potentially suitable jaguar habitat in southern Arizona have never been systematically surveyed for jaguars.

For more information on the project visit http://www.borderjag.org/

ReferencesBoydston, E. E., and C. A. Lopez Gonzalez. 2005. Sexual Differentia-

tion in the Distribution Potential of Northern Jaguars (Panthera onca). USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-36.

Hatten, J. R., A. Averill-Murray, and W. E. Van Pelt. 2003. Character-izing and Mapping Potential Jaguar Habitat in Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department. §


Notes from the Field


Cougar researCh in alBerta

Kyle Knopff, PhD Candidate, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, [email protected]

It is an exciting time to be conducting cougar research in North America. In the four decades since Maurice Hornocker undertook

his pioneering work in the Idaho Primitive Area, a substantial litera-ture on cougar behaviour, ecology, conservation, and management has been developed. Over the last ten years, almost every state and province with a viable cougar population has housed at least one large scale radio-telemetry study of cougar; many have had more than one. This has resulted in the publication of plethora of books, articles and reports that are of high scientific value. Indeed, in 2006 and 2007 alone there have been >40 articles on the genetics, habitat selection, disease ecology, predator-prey interactions, population dynamics, and conservation of Puma concolor published in the peer-reviewed literature. All this research provides a fantastic knowledge base to help guide wildlife managers and students alike and helps to focus future research efforts. The sheer volume of new information, however, makes it difficult to keep up with advancements, particu-larly in the case of ongoing and as yet unpublished efforts. The forum provided by The Wild Felid Monitor is an excellent place for stu-dents to describe their studies and inform others about their research objectives without having to wait for final results to be published in journals. Understanding what other researchers are doing is impor-tant, especially if we are to take advantage of new information and techniques, or opportunities for collaborative efforts that can help produce stronger inferences about cougar ecology. In this brief re-port, I describe the objectives of some new research that is currently ongoing in Alberta, Canada.

The Central East Slopes Cougar Study, run by the author and Aliah Knopff and supervised by Dr. Mark Boyce at the University of Al-berta, intends to address several important issues with respect to cougar conservation and management in Alberta. One of the study’s primary objectives is to provide improved information on cougar interactions with prey in diverse multi-predator, multi-prey systems. Predator management is becoming an increasingly important issue in Alberta. Most caribou herds and also certain bighorn sheep and elk populations in the province are below target levels, in some cases approaching local extinction. Predation has been identified as the primary proximate cause of decline in many of these cases. Wolves were initially viewed as the primary predator responsible, but recent-ly attention has focused more on the entire guild of top predators, including cougar. Consequently, we are attempting to obtain a better understanding of cougar predation patterns in diverse large mammal communities with a particular emphasis on developing predictive models of prey selection, seasonality of diet, and cougar numerical and functional responses to aid provincial wildlife managers in their efforts to maintain viable populations of both predators and prey.

A second and related question concerns the effects of industrial land-scape change on cougar populations and predation patterns. Alberta’s economy depends largely on natural resource extraction (forestry and

oil and gas) and business is currently very good. Industrial deforesta-tion is occurring on a large scale and there are two hypotheses about how this might affect cougar. The first suggests that because cougar avoid open habitats and have poor hunting success where there is little cover, deforestation will reduce the total amount of available habitat and negatively impact cougar populations. The second sug-gests that deforestation benefits many populations of ungulate prey, ultimately translating into larger cougar populations. Using data on habitat selection, predation rates, and kill-site selection, we hope to identify which hypothesis is most accurate.

Finally, as Alberta’s population continues to grow in response to the booming economy, traditional cougar habitat is increasingly becom-ing dominated by human residential and recreational activities. This is a familiar theme throughout western North America and the con-servation of cougars and other large carnivores will require both an understanding of cougar ecology in human dominated landscapes and also of human tolerance thresholds for cougar. To address both of these issues in Alberta, we are obtaining habitat selection and pre-dation data for cougar living in human dominated landscapes (towns, acreages, and working ranches) and are also surveying the opinions of residents with respect to cougar.

Fieldwork for this project began in December 2005. Our study area is located on public lands east of Banff National Park and contains an incredible diversity of large carnivores and ungulates (wolves, cou-gar, black bear, grizzly bear, white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, feral horses, mountain goats, and caribou are all pres-ent). It also contains a wide gradient in the intensity of industrial activity and in the intensity of residential development. Over the last two years we have captured and GPS radiocollared 29 independent cougar from across the study area and expect to collar 10-15 more in our final capture season this coming winter. GPS collar technology allows us to monitor habitat selection intensively regardless of season or the location of the cougar’s home range. Using on the ground clus-ter visitation techniques we have been able to monitor predation just as closely—locating over 800 cougar kill and scavenging sites to date. The field portion of the study will wrap up in 2008 and final results will be available in 2009. §

Kyle and Aliah Knopff , Credit: Kyle Knopff

Tools of the Trade

Comparing scat detection dogs, cameras, and hair snares for surveying carnivores

Robert A. Long, Therese M. Donovan, Paula Mackay, William J. Zielinski, Jeffrey S. Buzas Journal of Wildlife Management 2007, 71 (6):2018–2025;

Abstract: We assessed the detection and accuracy rates of detection dogs trained to locate scats from free-ranging black bears (Ursus americanus), fishers (Martes pennanti), and bob-cats (Lynx rufus). During the summers of 2003–2004, 5 detection teams located 1,565 scats (747 putative black bear, 665 putative fisher, and 153 putative bobcat) at 168 survey sites throughout Vermont, USA. Of 347 scats genetically analyzed for species identification, 179 (51.6%) yielded a positive identification, 131 (37.8%) failed to yield DNA information, and 37 (10.7%) yielded DNA but provided no species confirmation. For 70 survey sites where confirmation of a putative target species’ scat was not possible, we assessed the probability that 1 of the scats collected at the site was deposited by the target species (probability of cor-rect identification; PID). Based on species confirmations or PID values, we detected bears at 57.1% (96) of sites, fishers at 61.3% (103) of sites, and bobcats at 12.5% (21) of sites. We estimated that the mean probability of detecting the target species (when present) during a single visit to a site was 0.86 for black bears, 0.95 for fishers, and 0.40 for bobcats. The probability of detecting black bears was largely unaffected by site- or visit-specific covariates, but the probability of detecting fishers varied by detection team.We found little or no effect of topographic ruggedness, vegetation density, or local weather (e.g., temp, humidity) on detection probability for fishers or black bears (data were insufficient for bobcat analyses). Detection dogs were highly effective at locating scats from forest carnivores and provided an efficient and accurate method for collecting detection–nondetection data on multiple species.

Contact: [email protected]

This Tools of the Trade section is intended as a venue for the exchange of information and ideas on techniques for studying, managing and conserving wild felids. Brief reports, reviews and letters and other submissions on research technologies and methodologies are welcomed to [email protected]. For this issue we highlight 3 recent papers on noninvasive population sampling for wild felids.

Hair snares for noninvasive sampling of felids in North America: Do gray foxes affect success?

Patricia J. Downey, Eric C. Hellgren, Arturo Caso, Sasha Carvajal, and Kerri FrangiosoJournal of Wildlife Management 2007, 71 (6):2090-2094.

Abstract: Hair-snare sampling has become a popular technique to assess distribution and abundance of felids. Using standard hairsnaring protocols, we sampled for margays (Leop-ardus wiedii) in Mexico and mountain lions (Puma concolor) in California, USA, without success. However, we noted a preponderance of gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) hair at sampling stations. Our review of recent literature suggests a pattern of failure to detect target felids in hair-snare surveys conducted within the range of the gray fox. We propose, among several alternative explanations, that marking by gray foxes interferes with the tendency of felids to face-rub at sampling stations.


Evaluation of noninvasive genetic sampling methods for felid and canid populations

Emily W. Ruell and Kevin R. CrooksJournal Of Wildlife Management 2007 71(5):1690–1694

Abstract: Noninvasive sampling meth-ods provide a means for studying species such as large mammalian carnivores that are difficult to survey using traditional techniques. Focusing on bobcat (Lynx rufus), we compared the effectiveness of noninvasive hair and scat genetic sam-pling in terms of field sample collection, species identification, and individual identification. We describe a novel hair-snare design and sampling protocol that successfully sampled 4 sympatric car-nivore species, bobcat, mountain lion (Felis concolor), coyote (Canis latrans), and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), in 3 habitat blocks in coastal southern California, USA. Scat surveys were also successful at sampling bobcats and other carnivores in the area. Hair and scat sampling methods had similar spe-cies identification success (81% and 87%, respectively) using mitochondrial DNA amplification and restriction enzyme digestion patterns. Therefore, for stud-ies focused on the distribution and ac-tivity of a suite of carnivore species, we recommend a combination of noninva-sive methodologies, for example, target-ing hair and scat surveys toward species and sites where they are most effective. Because of a higher success rate for scat (85%) than for hair samples (10%) when using 4 microsatellite loci and a multi-ple-tubes approach to verify individual genotypes, we suggest scat sampling is a better choice for studies that require individual identification of bobcats.



Studying effects of urbanization on disease dynamics in bobcats, pumas and domestic cats

Sue VandeWoud, Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathol-ogy, Colorado State University, [email protected]

Kevin Crooks, Associate Professor, Dept. of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, [email protected]

Researchers at Colorado State University are beginning a new project, funded by a Na-tional Science Foundation Ecology of Infectious Diseases research grant, which will allow them to model the effects of urbanization and resultant habitat fragmentation on disease dynamics in bobcats, pumas, and domestic cats. These 3 species will be evaluated simul-taneously in high mountain desert (Colorado), everglades (Florida) and Mediterranean scrub habitat (California). Because pumas and bobcats are sympatric in these regions, are susceptible to many of the same diseases, and are both at risk of infection with domestic cat pathogens, the researchers will be able to investigate disease prevalence in relation to urbanization at multiple spatial and temporal scales in 3 divergent ecosystems. They will: 1) model predictor variables relevant to exposure to a select panel of heterogeneous patho-gens; 2) use pathogen genomics to develop novel tools to assess landscape connectivity; 3) evaluate evidence for cross-species disease transmission among domestic and nondomestic felids; 4) evaluate the importance of wild felids as hosts of common zoonotic diseases; and 5) correlate landscape features with disease exposure. These efforts will allow them to gain an understanding of how urbanization influences the dynamics of infectious disease among wildlife populations and domestic pets.

Novel spatial tools for connectivity conservation: Cougars in southern California

Rick A. Hopkins, Live Oak Associates, Inc. San Jose, CA, [email protected]

Brett Dickson, Center for Environmen-tal Sciences and Education, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, [email protected]

Brad McRae, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, CA, [email protected]

The conservation of wide-ranging taxa de-pends critically on planning efforts that consider both habitat and connectivity needs of focal species. Fragmented land-scapes that include expansive areas of ur-banization can further complicate analyses and realistic conservation goals. Despite these challenges, contemporary efforts tend to rely on overly-simplistic decision rules and tools (e.g., GIS overlays, least-cost pathways, etc). We believe the use of theoretically grounded spatial tools that permit a more integrated analysis of the

landscape are needed in order to produce defensible land-use plans. We used a suite of habitat and landscape connectivity mod-els to develop a long-term conservation strategy for cougars in a highly fragmented region of southern California. Within our 35,000-km² study area, we used empirical and expert-based information to derive spatially-explicit models of core and dis-persal habitats. We then integrated these models to predict important linkage zones among core areas using models from elec-tronic circuit theory, which predict move-ment probabilities given the quality and configuration of dispersal habitat between core areas. Probabilistic model outputs were used to quantitatively compare the value of alternative pathways, and evaluate the implications of continued habitat loss and fragmentation. Our results both illustrate an integrated approach to habitat conserva-tion planning, and provide a framework to test a-priori hypotheses regarding animal movement. The portability of these princi-ples can serve as a framework for long-term planning for cougar and other species in various regions in North America.

Paraguay jaguar study

Rocky McBride, P.O. Box 455, Alpine, TX 79831, [email protected]

Between 2002 and 2007 as part of an agree-ment with the government of Paraguay 16 dif-ferent jaguars were captured and equipped with GPS telemetry collars in the Chaco of Paraguay. These jaguars were captured in 3 distinct eco-systems represented by Faro Moro Ranch in the Central Chaco, Defensores de Chaco National Park and adjacent private lands in the North-ern Chaco, and Fortin Patria a private preserve in the Pantanal region of Northeastern Chaco. Of the 16 GPS collars fitted on jaguars, 7 were successfully recovered. Data from the success-fully recovered collars mapped considerable variations in movement patterns of jaguars in the different habitat types. Two adult female jaguar in the dry Chaco had home ranges of 38,800 ha and 49,200 ha as compared to two adult females in the Pantanal region that had annual home ranges of 6,900 ha and 7,200 ha each. The 3 male jaguars from the dry Chaco had annual home ranges of 39,000 ha, 41,000 ha, and 129,000 ha. These home ranges in the dry Chaco are much larger than any reported in the literature to date. During this time 5 pumas were also captured and equipped with VHF telemetry collars on Faro Moro ranch. Annual puma home ranges varied from a maxi-mum of 7,500 ha to a minimum of 2,600 ha. In addition to the telemetry studies, a seasonal grid of camera traps was located on Faro Moro ranch during this time. Camera traps captured

47 photos of jaguars representing 13 individual males identified by spot patterns and 216 pho-tos of pumas of which 25 were identified as collared or marked animals. All mammals that were captured by cameras were recorded serv-ing as baseline data for future studies. During the 5 year study, notes were kept of jaguar sign found, livestock predation, and jaguar mortali-ties throughout the Chaco from communica-tions with local inhabitants and landowners. This study represents the first comprehensive research on jaguars in the Chaco of Paraguay and on arid land jaguars anywhere within their range.


Research Highlights

Canadian lynx cycles and barriers to dispersal

Gabriela Yates, Ph.D. studentDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of [email protected]/~gyates/projectlynx

Persistent and regular population cycles pro-duced by specialist predators and their prey are a rarity in nature, but appear to be a major force creating a periodic rhythm in boreal ecosystems. Canadian lynx and snowshoe hare display such a pervasive 10-year cycle. The chain of national parks and natural areas throughout Canada may be failing to maintain the connections between the temperate forests of the northern US and the vast Canadian boreal forest. Lynx persistence in the US and southern Canada may depend on their ability to adapt to climate changes and retain dispersal connections with the core population. This project targets the ecological integrity and interconnectedness of the natural areas in western Canada to ensure population persistence in the southern por-tions of the lynx range.

My research project is designed to evaluate alternative hypotheses to explain the break-down in the periodicity and amplitude of the lynx-hare cycle: the homogenizing effect of predator dispersal versus the reduction in envi-ronmental seasonality that is hypothesized to maintain the 10-year cycle. The objectives are to 1) enumerate the 10-year cycle breakdown at southern latitudes using detailed Alberta and British Columbia trapping records, 2) evaluate barriers to gene flow (hence dispersal) using pelt DNA, 3) use radiocollared lynx to estimate a model of habitats that facilitate dispersal, and 4) examine climate and trapping data to evaluate the seasonal-forcing hypothesis. This project will culminate in my Ph.D. dissertation. The project website (see above) will provide environmental education, project updates and results, and interactive features such as the abil-ity to track the movements of individual lynx as they disperse across Alberta and BC and into the southern range.

Ecology and conservation of cougars in the eastern Great Basin

David C. Stoner, Ph.D. studentDepartment of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, [email protected]

Utah State University and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources are cooperating on a cougar research project, covering three study areas across the state. Other partners in-clude the Fishlake National Forest, the Utah National Guard, and Kennecott Utah Cop-per Corporation. The project is under the direction of Dr. Michael Wolfe, professor in the Department of Wildland Resources. The overall objective of this study is to monitor population trends, movement patterns, and predation of cougars under different densities, management regimes, and environmental conditions.

Fieldwork is currently underway on Monroe Mountain (ca. 1996), the Oquirrh Mtns (ca. 1997), and the Stansbury Mtns (ca. 2006). Monroe Mtn is the treatment population where we are measuring the effects of hunting on cougar population growth rates and demographic structure. The Oquirrh site serves as an unexploited reference population to compare with Monroe. Because of its proximity to the Salt Lake metro area, we are also examining nocturnal movement and predation patterns of cougars living along the expanding urban-wildland interface. The Stansbury Mtns are a dry, desert range, west of the Oquirrhs. On this site we are investigating individual cougar predation patterns in relation to the movements of reintroduced bighorn sheep.

Examining the habitat and prey selection of an isolated cougar population

Michelle M. Bacon, M.Sc. candidateDept of Biological Sciences, Univ of Alberta, [email protected]

My field work is taking place in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, a ~400 km² protected oasis of forested hills in the middle of the prairies which spans the southeast corner of Alberta and the southwest corner of Saskatchewan. Large carnivores had been eradicated from this area in the early 1900s due to agricultural expansion and predator control. How-ever, in the past 10 years sightings of cougars in this region has been increasing and the conservation officers in the park, who have been monitoring with wildlife cameras and snow tracking for the past 5 years, estimate a resident population of 7-10 adults. I began my research this past summer with remote cameras and got several pictures of different family groups, so we know there are at least 2 breeding females. In early 2008, I will be capturing and putting 5 Lotek GPS radiocollars out on adults in order to monitor habitat selection and find kill sites to identify prey selection. This project will attempt to answer the following questions: (1) What is the composition and distribution of the population of cougars in southeast Alberta? (2) What are the seasonal and human effects on movement and range of the cougars? (3) What is the composition of prey killed by cougars?

On a local level, the expansion of cougars’ range eastwardly means that management and conservation strategies are needed in Cypress County to protect the human, livestock and wildlife interests of the area. In the broader scope, evaluating the isolated Cypress cou-gars will help gain an understanding of the factors that contribute to the restoration of a large carnivore, as well as provide insight into the ecological significance of isolated habitat patches and their importance as stepping stones which facilitate gene flow to more distant populations.


Research Highlights

Recent Publications


BOBCAT: Master of Survival

by Kevin HansenOxford University Press

The most comprehensive and up-to-date book on the natural history and management of bobcats in 40 years

“grows in stature with every page” - David Brown in Arizona Wildlife Views

GENERAL ECOLOGYHone, J., C. Krebs, M. O’Donoghue, and

S. Boutin. 2007. Evaluation of predator numerical responses. Wildlife Research 34:335-341.

Stankowich, T., and R.G. Coss. 2007. The re-emergence of felid camouflage with the decay of predator recognition in deer under relaxed selection. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 274:175-182.

MORPHOLOGYChristiansen, P. 2007. Canine morphology

in the larger Felidae: implications for feeding ecology. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 91:573-592.

Day, L.M., and B.C. Jayne. 2007. Interspe-cific scaling of the morphology and pos-ture of the limbs during the locomotion of cats (Felidae). Journal of Experimen-tal Biology 210:642-654.

ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTSWhiteman, C.W., E.R. Matushima, U.E. C.

Confalonieric, M.D.C. Palha, A.D.L. daSilva, and V.C. Monteiro. 2007. Hu-man and domestic animal populations as a potential threat to wild carnivore conservation in a fragmented landscape from the Eastern Brazilian Amazon. Biological Conservation 138:290-296.

GENETICS AND DISEASEWilli, B., C. Filoni, J.L. Catao-Dias, V. Cat-

tori, M.L. Meli, A. Vargas, F. Martinez, M.E. Roelke, M.P. Ryser-Degiorgis, C.M. Leutenegger, H. Lutz, and R. Hofmann-Lehmann. 2007. Worldwide occurrence of feline hernoplasma infec-tions in wild felid species. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 45:1159-1166.

Riley, S. P. D., C. Bromley, R.H. Pop-penga, F.A. Uzal, L. Whited, and R.M. Sauvajot. 2007. Anticoagulant exposure and notoedric mange in bobcats and mountain lions in urban southern Cali-fornia. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1874-1884.

Bentler, K.T., J.S. Hall, J.J. Root, K. Klenk, B. Schmit, B.F. Blackwell, P.C. Ramey, and L. Clark. 2007. Serologic evidence of West Nile virus exposure in North American mesopredators. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hy-giene 76:173-179.

Rector, A., P. Lemey, R. Tachezy, S. Most-mans, S.J. Ghim, K. Van Doorslaer, M. Roelke, M. Bush, R.J. Montali, J. Joslin, R.D. Burk, A.B. Jenson, J.P. Sundberg, B. Shapiro, and M. Van Ranst. 2007. Ancient papillomavirus-host co-specia-tion in Felidae. Genome Biology 8.

HUMAN ATTITUDESSilva-Rodgrquez, E.A., G.R. Ortega-Solis,

and J.E. Jimenez. 2007. Human at-titudes towards wild felids in a human-dominated landscape of Southern Chile. Cat News No. 46

RESEARCH TECHNIQUESDowney, P.J., E.C. Hellgren, A. Caso, S.

Carvajal, and K. Frangioso. 2007. Hair snares for noninvasive sampling of felids in North America: Do gray foxes affect success? Journal of Wildlife Manage-ment 71:2090-2094.

Hetherington, D.A., and M.L. Gorman. 2007. Using prey densities to estimate the potential size of reintroduced populations of Eurasian lynx. Biological Conservation 137:37-44.

Long, R.A., T.M. Donovan, P. Mackay, W.J. Zielinski, and J.S. Buzas. 2007a. Comparing scat detection dogs, cameras, and hair snares for surveying carni-vores. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:2018-2025.

Long, R.A., T.M. Donovan, P. Mackay, W. J. Zielinski, and J.S. Buzas. 2007b. Effectiveness of scat detection dogs for detecting forest carnivores. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:2007-2017.

Ruell, E. W., and K. R. Crooks. 2007. Evalu-ation of noninvasive genetic sampling methods for felid and canid popula-tions. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1690-1694.

BOBCATJanecka, J.E., T.L. Blankenship, D.H. Hirth,

C.W. Kilpatrick, M.E. Tewes, and L.I. Grassman. 2007. Evidence for male-biased dispersal in bobcats Lynx rufus using relatedness analysis. Wildlife Biology 13:38-47.

McKinney, T., and T.W. Smith. 2007. Diets of sympatric bobcats and coyotes dur-ing years of varying rainfall in central Arizona. Western North American Naturalist 67:8-15.

Millions, D. G., and B.J. Swanson. 2007. Impact of natural and artificial barriers to dispersal on the population structure of bobcats. Journal of Wildlife Manage-ment 71:96-102.

CANADA LYNXBurdett, C. L., R.A. Moen, G. J. Niemi, and

L. D. Mech. 2007. Defining space use and movements of Canada lynx with global positioning system telemetry. Journal of Mammalogy 88:457-467.

Carroll, C. 2007. Interacting effects of cli-mate change, landscape conversion, and harvest on carnivore populations at the range margin: Marten and Lynx in the northern Appalachians. Conservation Biology 21:1092-1104.

Fuller, A.K., D.J. Harrison, and J.H. Vashon. 2007. Winter habitat selection by Canada lynx in Maine: Prey abundance or accessibility? Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1980-1986.

Griffin, P.C., and L.S. Mills. 2007. Precom-mercial thinning reduces snowshoe hare abundance in the short term. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:559-564.

Homyack, J.A., D.J. Harrison, and W.B. Krohn. 2007. Effects of precommercial thinning on snowshoe hares in Maine. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:4-13.

theses and dissertations

Conforti, V. A. 2007. CpG motif-based adjuvant enhances immunogenicity of a recombinant LHRH vaccine, and, Noninvasive monitoring of adrenal and gonadal function in the jaguar (Panthera onca). Dissertation, Washington State University, U.S.

Ghikas, D. M. 2007. Intrinsic and extrinsic influences on vital rates of cougars (Puma concolor) in a hunted population. M.S. Thesis. University of Calgary, Canada.

LaRue, M. A. 2007. Predicting potential habitat and dispersal corridors for cougars in midwestern North America. M.S. Thesis. Southern Il-linois University at Carbondale, Illinois.

Recent Publications


Kolbe, J.A., and J.R. Squires. 2007. Circa-dian activity patterns of Canada lynx in western Montana. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1607-1611.

Kolbe, J.A., J.R. Squires, D.H. Pletscher, and L.F. Ruggiero. 2007. The effect of snowmobile trails on coyote movements within lynx home ranges. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1409-1418

Maquet, J., C. Letellier, and L.A. Aguirre. 2007. Global models from the Canadian lynx cycles as a direct evidence for chaos in real ecosystems. Journal of Math-ematical Biology 55:21-39.

Squires, J.R., and L.F. Ruggiero. 2007. Winter prey selection of Canada lynx in northwestern Montana. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:310-315.

Stenseth, N.C. 2007. Canadian hare-lynx dynamics and climate variation: need for further interdisciplinary work on the interface between ecology and climate. Climate Research 34:91-92.

Yom-Tov, Y., S. Yom-Tov, D. MacDonald, and E. Yom-Tov. 2007. Population cycles and changes in body size of the lynx in Alaska. Oecologia 152:239-244.

Zhang, Z.B., Y. Ta, and Z.Q. Li. 2007. Fac-tors affecting hare-lynx dynamics in the classic time series of the Hudson Bay Company, Canada. Climate Research 34:83-89.

GEOFFREY’S CATCanepuccia, A.D., M.M. Martinez, and A.I.

Vassallo. 2007. Selection of waterbirds by Geoffroy’s cat: Effects of prey abun-dance, size, and distance. Mammalian Biology 72:163-173.

JAGUARCarrillo, E. 2007. Tracking the elusive jag-

uar. Natural History 116:30-34.de Azevedo, F.C.C., and D.L. Murray. 2007.

Evaluation of potential factors predis-posing livestock to predation by jaguars. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:2379-2386.

‘de Azevedo, F.C.C., and D.L. Murray. 2007. Spatial organization and food habits of jaguars (Panthera onca) in a flood-plain forest. Biological Conservation 137:391-402.

Junior, J.L.R., M.A. Gioso, and L.M. Domingues-Falqpeiro. 2007. A compar-ative study about the prevalence of peri-odontal disease in Panthera onca, living in captivity and in the wild. Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira 27:209-214.

Salom-Perez, R.,E. Carrillo, J.C. Saenz, and J.M. Mora. 2007. Critical condition of the jaguar Panthera onca population in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. Oryx 41:51-56.

OCELOTJanecka, J. E., C.W. Walker, M.E. Tewes,

A. Caso, L.L. Laack, and R.L. Honey-cutt. 2007. Phylogenetic relationships of ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens) populations from the Tamaulipan biotic province and implications for recovery. Southwestern Naturalist 52:89-96.

PAMPAS CATSanchez-Soto, S. 2007. New record of On-

cifelis colocolo (Felidae) in the Pantanal of Brazil. Revista Mexicana De Biodiver-sidad 78:211-212.

PUMADickson, B. G., and P. Beier. 2007. Quan-

tifying the influence of topographic position on cougar (Puma concolor) movement in southern California, USA. Journal of Zoology 271:270-277.

Fiorello, C.V., M.W. Cunningham, S.L. Cantwell, J.K. Levy, E.M. Neer, K. Conley, and P.M. Rist. 2007. Diagnosis and treatment of presumptive postob-structive pulmonary edema in a Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 38:317-322.

Galentine, S. P., and P. K. Swift. 2007. In-traspecific killing among mountain lions (Puma concolor). Southwestern Natural-ist 52:161-164.

Harvey, J.W., M.R. Dunbar, T.M. Norton, and M.J. Yabsley. 2007. Laboratory find-ings in acute Cytauxzoon felis infection in cougars (Puma concolor couguar) in Florida. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 38:285-291.

Kortello, A.D., T.E. Hurd, and D.L. Mur-ray. 2007. Interactions between cougars (Puma concolor) and gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Banff National Park, Alberta. Ecoscience 14:214-222.

Laundré, J.W., and L. Hernandez. 2007. Do female pumas (Puma concolor) exhibit a birth pulse? Journal of Mammalogy 88:1300-1304.

Laundré, J.W., L. Hernandez, and S.G. Clark. 2007. Numerical and demograph-ic responses of pumas to changes in prey abundance: Testing current predic-tions. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:345-355.

Laundré, J.W., L. Hernandez, and S.G. Atwood, T. C., E. M. Gese, and K. E. Kunkel. 2007. Comparative patterns of predation by cougars and recolo-nizing wolves in Montana’s Madison Range. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1098-1106.

Miotto, R. A., F. P. Rodrigues, G. Ciocheti, and P. M. Galetti. 2007. Determination of the minimum population size of pu-mas (Puma concolor) through fecal DNA analysis in two protected cerrado areas in the Brazilian Southeast. Biotropica 39:647-654.

Rodzen, J.A., J.D. Banks, E.P. Meredith, and K.C. Jones. 2007. Characterization of 37 microsatellite loci in mountain lions (Puma concolor) for use in forensic and population applications. Conserva-tion Genetics 8:1239-1241.

Uzal, F.A., R.S. Houston, S.P.D. Riley, R. Poppenga, J. Odani, and W. Boyce. 2007. Notoedric mange in two free-ranging mountain lions (Puma concolor). Journal of Wildlife Diseases 43:274-278.

ninth Mountain lion WorkshoP

“Cougars: Past, Present and Future Challenges”May 5-8, 2008

Sun Valley, Idaho

Hosted by the Idaho Dept of Fish and Game.

Sanctioned by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The 2008 Mountain Lion Workshop will celebrate the rich history of cougar (Puma concolor) research with origins in Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilder-ness. The workshop will also provide a forum for researchers, managers, academicians and other mountain lion enthusiasts from across western North America to exchange recent advances in research and management. This workshop will promote communi-cation and cooperation between and among agencies, organizations and individuals.

Paper and Poster Abstracts are Due February 1

For more information contact: David Smith ([email protected]) or Steve Nadeau ([email protected]) or at (208) 334-2920

or visit http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/lion/workshop/default.cfm

Cougar Field WorkshoP

February 18-22, 2008Ladder Ranch, NM

The Second Cougar Field Workshop is to be held February 18-22, 2008 on Ted Turner’s spectacular Ladder Ranch in the heart of New Mexico and the heart of cougar country. Organized by Harley Shaw, this second workshop is designed to train biologists working in the midwest and eastern U.S. to recog-nize the varied sign of the cougar (Puma concolor).

Participants will spend time in the classroom and in the field learning the science and art of tracking cougars, including the use of remote cameras. Topics of discussion and field work will include:

identifying sign including cougar kills, scrapes, tracks, and differentiating these from other carnivore sign•basic cougar behavior as known from research•evaluation of the significance of cougar presence (reaction in states with uncertain puma status)•communication issues and public relations•

Contact, Registration and Collection of FeesMeredith Steele. Ladder Ranch, HC 31 Box 95. Caballo NM 87931

Phone 505-895-5385, [email protected] more information visit http://www.easterncougarnet.org/

Future Events



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The Interim (Founding) Board

Linda Sweanor, Interim PresidentDept. of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation BiologyColorado State University68761 Overland RoadMontrose, CO 81401 USA(970) [email protected]

Sharon Negri, Interim SecretaryWild Futures353 Wallace Way, NE Suite 12Bainbridge Island, WA, USA 98110(206) [email protected]

John J. Beecham, Ph.D.Craighead Beringia South.2723 N. Lakeharbor LaneBoise, ID [email protected]

Chris BeldenFlorida Panther Recovery CoordinatorU. S. Fish and Wildlife Service1339 20th StreetVero Beach, FL 32960(772) 562-3909 x [email protected]

Deanna DawnWildlife biologistNomad Ecological Consulting8760 McCarty Ranch Dr.San Jose, CA 95135(408) [email protected]

Rich DeSimoneResearch BiologistMontana Fish, Wildlife & ParksHelena, MT 59620(406)[email protected]

Gary M. Koehler, Ph.D.Wildlife Research ScientistWashington Department of Fish & Wildlife2218 Stephanie BrookeWenatchee, WA [email protected]

Christopher M. Papouchis, editor Wild Felid MonitorConservation Scientist1320 18th Street, Apt 3Sacramento, CA [email protected]

Hugh Robinson, Ph.D.Postdoctoral ResearcherWildlife Biology ProgramCollege of Forestry and ConservationUniversity of MontanaMissoula, MT [email protected]

Ron W. ThompsonWildlife BiologistPrimero Conservation [email protected]

Board News


Credit: Ken Logan

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© Susan Morse

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About the Wild Felid Research and Management Association (WFA)

The Wild Felid Research and Management Association is an organization (USA tax#54-2648058) open to professional biologists, wildlife managers, and others dedicated to the conservation of all wild felid species, with an emphasis on those species in the western hemisphere. The Wild Felid Association acts in an advisory capacity to facilitate wild felid conservation, management, and research, public education about wild felids, and functions among various governments, agencies, councils, universities, and organizations responsible or interested in wild felids and their habitats.

Our intention is to: Provide for and encourage the coordination and exchange of information on the ecology, management, and conservation of wild 1. felids;Provide liaison with other groups; and,2. Provide a format for conducting workshops, panels, and conferences on research management, and conservation topics related to 3. wild felids.

Goal:The goal of the Wild Felid Association is to promote the management, conservation and restoration of wild felids through science-based research, management, and education.

Objectives:Promote and foster well-designed research of the highest scientific and professional standards. 1. Support and promote sound stewardship of wild felids through scientifically based population and habitat management. 2. Promote opportunities for communication and collaboration across scientific disciplines and among wild felid research scientists and 3. managers through conferences, workshops, and newsletters. Increase public awareness and understanding of the ecology, conservation, and management of wild felids by encouraging the transla-4. tion of technical information into popular literature and other media, and other educational forums. Encourage the professional growth and development of our members. 5. Provide professional counsel and advice on issues of natural resource policy related to wild felid management, research, and 6. conservation. Maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.7.


Documents

Wi l d Fe l i d Mo n i t o r1).pdf · WFA Board News (From the President, from page 1) WFA Founding Board from left: Gary Koehler, Chris Belden, John Beecham, Hugh Robinson (front),