There was a time when human intrusion into wild landscapes was minimal: ecological balance was not altered and pumas and wolves prospered in North America; however, human disturbances, especially blind hunting, absolutely exterminated wolves, an ideal predator, of America’s oldest national park: Yellowstone National Park Decades later, made an effort to correct human error and manage the developing elk population by reintroducing wolves into the park in 1995, but the effects were , in many ways, unforeseen, as shown through a recently published clinical examination. The effects of reintroduced wolves on the cougar population in southern Great Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) in northwestern Wyoming. This article explores the current status of pumas and the implications of clinical examination on the control of cougar and wolf populations in the area examined. Dr. Mark Elbroch, Director of Panthera’s Puma Program, gave a review of the exam in an interview with World Atlas.
Pumas have the widest geographical diversity of all local terrestrial mammals in the Western Hemisphere, these animals are known to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, adding all kinds of forests, open steppe meadows and even mountain deserts within their diversity. From its distribution in 28 countries, from southern Alaska to the southern tip of Chile, cougar populations are declining. Multiple factors, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, over-hunting, human-cougar conflict, mortality and road diseases, are blamed.
As pressure on cougar populations increases throughout the day, considerations have been raised about the long-term cougars, which have recently been on the IUCN Red List as a “less worrying” species. For example, conservation organizations such as Panthera, the world’s conservation organization for mountain cats, have made long-term efforts to ensure that it does not cross the red line in the endangered category, such as the world’s tigers, lions and leopards.
Panthera’s Puma program is one of the most entrepreneurial projects in this direction. Due to their elusive nature, cougars have been misunderstood as fierce predators, fueling their persecution through humans. With the help of clinical studies on the behavior and ecology of the species, Panthera is creating a new symbol of these great felines as an integral component of the ecosystems and landscapes of the Americas. Past behaviors unknown to these predators are emerging, allowing scientists and conservationists to better perceive cougars. Panthera also monitors the cougar population across the country. diversity of species with studies such as the one discussed below.
From 2000 to 2017, a scientists’ organization led by Dr. Elbroch began tracking wild pumas in southern GYE, northwest Wyoming, a multi-purpose landscape. Elbroch answered some important questions because of the exam:
The initial goals were to launch a new assignment that complemented the assignment of Toni Ruth North Mountain Lion, which ended just as the wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Therefore, our examination domain was selected for two reasons: it was south enough to pre-empty the recolonization of wolves (there were only five wolves in the formula when we started) and because it was a multi-purpose landscape that allowed human hunting (northern allocation was more commonly in Yellowstone’s PN and therefore an unlisted domain).
Over the course of 17 years, beginning in 2000, we monitored the lives of 147 cougars in 2,300 square kilometers in northwest Wyoming, and witnessed a 48% decrease in the region’s cougar population. or the recolonization of gray wolves had the greatest effect on the survival and abundance of cougars.
And the effects were in fact surprising. While mountain lions in exam mastery obviously modeled themselves around wolves, I don’t think anyone would have predicted that wolves curbed the number of mountain lions more than hunting humans.
Yes, the cougars attack and kill the wolves. It is much less common than wolves killing cougars, but it happens, especially in spaces where the herds are small and the terrain favors cougars. In our study, we only documented a mountain lion killing a wolf: it was a wolf cub about 6 months old. The cougar was an old female named F109.
There is no explanation as to why wolves alone will decrease the number of cougars so low that they will wink at it, but in fact we may be waiting for the cougars to exist in a declining abundance where percentage of landscapes and prey with wolves.
In fact, we can expect the recovery of wolves in the region to lead to greater aptitude of the Yellowstone eco formula, a resistant formula in which the two carnivores thrive.
Undoubtedly, hunting is one of the most powerful influences on the survival of wolves and cougars, social behaviors and abundance. More than that, carnivorous hunting is motivated by ancient cultural priorities of deer and esteurs that we value that demonize carnivores and prejudices about ancient mythology and the worry of living with giant carnivores.
There is no evidence that wolf hunting supports its conservation, however, some cougar hunters do Dog Hunters, in particular, are among the most influential players in the conservation of the cougar throughout the West, as they are active and identified components of state wildlife This is partly because the existing wildlife control formula excludes the participation of non-hunters interested in the conservation of the cougar. I hope that over time we will be able to replace this formula to make it more equitable and inclusive.
In addition, these state wildlife agencies have fought little against cougar populations living with wolves. Our studies show that cougar populations can quickly decline where wolves recover or are reintroduced if human hunting is not reduced to compensate for new pressures on local cougars. .
However, since we finished this project, Wyoming has begun hunting wolves in our examination area. Wolf hunting (which targeted approximately 12% of wolves in our main examination area) has damaged the dynamics of the wolf herd and their number in the exam formula. has declined considerably This has resulted in a redistribution of the elces that hibernate in the examination formula: a majority of Jackson’s herd is wintering in the mountains and this is certainly good news for the local cougar population.
No, the effects of our study should not be misunderstood as a clinical endorsement of grey wolf hunting; on the other hand, if we want to protect apex carnivores whose survival is so essential for that of their ecosystems and surrounding human communities, science obviously indicates that the way forward is to decrease or eliminate cougar hunting, or at least be very conservative, where they have a percentage of their houses with wolves. Our study demonstrates the interdependence of ecosystems and the desire for a broader multi-species strategy in wildlife conservation and management spaces, as opposed to the management of a single species.
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