Panthera is dedicated to conserving California's pumas, some of which reside just miles from the towering skyscrapers of San Francisco close to human settlements. In collaboration with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen), Colorado State University, UC Cooperative Extension, and other partners, Panthera leads the Bay Area Carnivore-Livestock Interactions Project (BACLIP). This initiative aims to foster coexistence between mountain lions (also known as pumas, cougars, and Florida panthers) and local communities, including their livestock. Clara Jessup, Panthera's Project Coordinator, took me out in the field and provided insights into the daily efforts to evaluate carnivore deterrents, offering a glimpse into how these strategies might help promote harmonious living for all.
Peering out from the truck window, I spotted three deer grazing by the roadside. Beyond them lies a farm where horses run freely across the fields. Ahead, signs point to various destinations –– Santa Cruz, San Jose, San Francisco.
Nestled between the gleaming skyscrapers of San Francisco and the bustling sidewalks of Silicon Valley, the wildlife of the San Francisco Bay Peninsula shares protected habitat with millions of joggers, walkers, horseback riders and even cattle that lease access to the vast grasslands and other habitats managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Coyotes, deer and mountain lions roam amidst a landscape dotted with farms, restaurants, busy highways, and suburban neighborhoods. Each day, mountain lions navigate potential conflicts with humans and their domestic animals.
Panthera partners with Midpen and collaborates closely with local ranchers to explore how best to prevent potential conflicts. To achieve this goal, we are conducting crucial tests on anti-predation deterrents, aiming to ensure they can effectively and safely deter mountain lions and coyotes away from vulnerable livestock sharing the grassy hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This is where our work comes into play.
High in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I walk beside BACLIP Project Coordinator Clara Jessup as she checks project sites for any sign of wildlife. Deep in the woods, she has set up two areas –– one control, one experimental –– to test whether carnivores are deterred by a variety of stimuli, including Foxlights and turbo fladry.
Upon reaching the control site, she searches for the bobcat that has appeared in recent days on her remote camera footage. As she replaces the camera's batteries, I scan the surroundings attentively, but my eyes only catch sight of banana slugs crawling nearby.
Time to head to the main event –– the experimental site. Here, our cameras are focused on a square of turbo fladry, its red fabric fluttering in the wind designed to deter wolves. We’d like to know whether it can be used for coyotes and pumas as well. This fladry is connected to a wire that snakes around the perimeter of the site, emitting a harmless electrical charge as an additional deterrent against curious mountain lions and coyotes.
After adjusting the fladry, Clara meticulously checks another type of deterrent, Foxlights, which are lights affixed to trees or fences that flash various colored lights in different directions at random times between dusk and dawn each night. One study found Foxlights effective in safeguarding livestock from pumas in northern Chile, we’re hoping to see whether they are effective against pumas and coyotes in California.
Everything is now in place for another night of monitoring. Perhaps tonight, the camera will show a coyote or puma approach the fladry only to retreat, mirroring the desired outcome we hope to achieve in the future.
We envision a future where California's mountain lions can peacefully coexist with people. While BACLIP may be able to tell us how to best employ these tools, the next question will be how to best support ranchers in doing so. We’re hoping that our partnership with ranchers throughout the research process will help us understand how to best get tools into the hands of people who can use them. While there's much progress to be made, I hold optimism that a future where livestock are safe from carnivores and vice versa is not far off.
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© Sebastian Kennerknecht
