Puma Program

Wild cats

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 OpEd by Dr. Mark Elbroch, Panthera Puma Program Director, was originally published in the Seattle Times on June 20, 2024.

Today and every day, we celebrate the impressive achievements of women scientists. Logan-Bates Mundell, Bárbara Escobar-Anleu and Veronica Yovovich are a few of the remarkable women of Panthera’s Puma Program team who make protecting pumas and their ecosystems possible.

How do you count wild cats? In this blog, Dr. Mark Elbroch, Panthera Puma Program Director, talks about the struggles and process of helping our partners in Chilean Patagonia count pumas. The results are innovating a new future in the studies of this notoriously difficult-to-study big cat.

If you’ve been following Panthera’s blog this year, you know that there are many threats facing wild cats.

A farmer in a rural area realizes one of his sheep has been attacked by a puma — a huge blow to his livelihood. In retaliation, the farmer hunts down the puma. However, instead of solving the problem, it creates new issues for both wild cats and human communities. 

One of the most exciting ways to participate in conservation efforts is by keeping an eye out for wild cats and reporting sightings to wildlife officials or scientists. 

For a puma scientist from Chile, a trip to the United States to collar pumas could be an overwhelming experience. Read Panthera Field Technician Mauricio Montt’s account of his trip to Washington State to work with our Olympic Cougar Project to discover why this trip was so memorable for him.