mountain lions

The problem of mountain lions

May 5, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Mountain lions – also known as pumas, cougars, and even sometimes panthers – are the most widely distributed wild land mammal in the world. They are found from Canada to South America. There are an estimated 30,000 mountain lions in the United States, mostly in the West, but there are also mountain lions from the Midwest to the East Coast.

Unlike wolves or grizzly bears, mountain lions are not managed by the federal government; they are managed by states and state regulations vary greatly. In some places, hunting mountain lions is banned completely; in other places, it is always open season.

As more people encroach on wild land – building homes and small farms, as well as hiking and biking – the numbers of encounters between people and mountain lions are increasing. And when mountain lions lose their fear of people, there is trouble.

Since 1890, there have been at least 32 fatal mountain lion attacks on humans and more than 170 non-fatal attacks. California has seen the most attacks in the last 40 years with 22 people injured and four killed. Despite this, Californians passed a ballot initiative in 1990 that bans all hunting of mountain lions.

There are strategies to reduce habituation and instill fear of humans in mountain lions. One is called “tree-and-free” that uses dogs to chase mountain lions up trees. But there are opponents of this and other measures employed.

The fact is that there are simply too many mountain lions living in close proximity to humans and peaceful coexistence is very difficult to achieve. Places where hunting lions is permitted have few problems with them, but that is not a solution that is acceptable in many places. It’s a difficult problem.

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Web Links

Deadly Encounter: Mountain Lion Attacks Spark Controversy

Photo, posted March 26, 2013, courtesy of the USFWS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Wildlife Bridges

June 17, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Highway accidents involving animals are a big problem for both people and animals. About 200 people die every year in the U.S. as a result of collisions with animals. In total, one to two million large animals are killed by motorists every year. And these crashes are expensive: deer-car collisions cost an average of more than $8,000 each; elk-vehicle collisions about $25,000; and moose-vehicle collisions over $44,000.

In the United States, there are 21 threatened and endangered species whose very survival is threatened by road mortalities. These include Key deer in Florida, bighorn sheep in California, and red-bellied turtles in Alabama.

One solution that has been quite effective around the world in reducing car-animal collisions is wildlife overpasses and underpasses. Crossings and fencing that guide animals over or under highways reduce collisions by 85-95%.

These traffic-spanning bridges and tunnels have been popular in Europe since the 1950s. The overpasses usually look much like regular overpasses for cars but are decked out with native flora. The underpasses, which assist shyer and smaller animals, are typically invisible to drivers.

Washington State has recently started building wildlife bridges and underpasses on Interstate 90. These passes will allow elk, black bears, mountain lions, pika, and even trout to traverse what was once a near-impenetrable barrier of road.

Some animals that are accustomed to human structures start using the crossings almost immediately. For others, there is learning curve. As in many things, the early adapters are important as they provide paths and model behavior that more reticent animals learn to follow.

Wildlife bridges are a very good thing for wildlife and for people.

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