Historically, the cougar (Felis concolor) existed on the most extensive range of any native land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, ranging from northern British Columbia to southern Argentina. The cougar has one the most extensive ranges of any native land mammal in the Western Hemisphere and is thus, one of the most successful species on earth. It can survive in alpine habitats of the Andes and the Rocky Mountains, while also being successful in the deserts of the southwestern United States and the dense tropical forests of the Amazon. Because of this habitat adaptability, the cougar is an important model to use for felid conservation.

A central focus for the conservation and management of cougars is the need for additional knowledge on their population dynamics, their impacts on prey, and their interactions with humans and human development. In addition, their interactions with other large carnivores are almost completely undocumented. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is an ideal location for increasing our understanding on all aspects of cougar conservation.

A partnership with Craighead Beringia South
In a partnership with Craighead Beringia South, of Jackson, Wyoming, Panthera co-directs the Teton Cougar Project, in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The Project has been operating for nearly eight years, tracking a marked sample of cougars in a study area of approximately 2,400 square kilometers, north of the town of Jackson. The study area is a mix of highly protected lands and intense human development. This allows for results of this research to have far-reaching implications about the effects of human development and the long-term conservation needs of cougar populations under a variety of management and conservation schemes.

At the same time, the Teton Cougar Project will continue to examine cougar predation, quantify cougar behavior associated with human development, and develop methods by which to scientifically document interactions between cougars, wolves, grizzly bears and black bears. Information obtained through this work will be essential to understanding cougar ecology, cougar-carnivore interactions, and to the long-term conservation of carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond.

Collecting scientific data
Through daily tracking, study animals are revealing important facts about cougar population dynamics, the effects of hunting, the roll of dispersal for subpopulation connectivity, and the natural mortality factors that also drive sex and age groups. Intensive daily tracking has also allowed the Teton Cougar Project to document annual and seasonal variation in prey use in this multiple-prey system, including elk, mule deer, moose, and pronghorn antelope. This variety of prey, and the abundance of elk in this ecosystem, makes it a valuable opportunity to look at variables important to cougar survival. And, competition is an important part of this survival. In this system – as in few systems in North America – we can view the effects of interactions with the cougar’s natural competitors, wolves, grizzly bears, and black bears.

A model for other cat species
As the Teton Cougar Project comes to its conclusions over the next few years, Panthera, along with its partner, Craighead Beringia South, will examine the results for direct conservation outgrowths for local and range-wide applications. Panthera is working to develop greater understanding of the cougar and bring the lessons learned to other cat species around the globe.

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