Puma Program

Panthera’s Puma Program is dedicated to ensuring the long-term survival of pumas across their vast range, from Canada to southern Argentina. By using cutting-edge science, fostering coexistence, and building strong collaborations, we aim to protect this iconic species and the landscapes they inhabit. Our work spans genetic connectivity projects in Central and South America, strategies to reduce vehicle strikes, and large-scale initiatives like the Olympic Cougar Project in Washington State. From conserving puma populations to empowering communities and influencing policies, our mission is to bridge divides and secure a future where pumas thrive alongside people.

Bridging Divides  

We work to ensure connected puma populations from Canada to southern Argentina. We employ genetic tools to study and build connectivity strategies in Honduras and Guatemala, and across southern Patagonia. We address vehicle strikes via Panthera’s Wild Cats Friendly Road Project in Costa Rica, and we work with road construction companies in southern Chile to train road crews that might meet pumas in the field, and to identify areas to post signage about pumas crossing roads.  

In western Washington, we collaborate with the Lower Elwha Klallam, Skokomish, Makah, Jamestown S'Klallam, and Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribes, the Quinault Indian Nation, and the Washington State Department of Transportation on the Olympic Cougar Project, which aims to connect the genetically isolated pumas of the Olympic Peninsula with other puma populations in Washington State. We also work as part of several large collaborations assessing where and how to build bridges and underpasses along Interstate-5 to increase wildlife movements between the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Peninsula, as well as work with a team of people tasked with creating a statewide connectivity action plan and a priority connectivity project list.  

Fostering Coexistence  

We work to encourage and facilitate peaceful coexistence between humans and pumas everywhere. We engage the public via live presentations, social media, media, artwork, articles and film. We conduct social science research to guide us in connecting with people to build a more informed, conservation-minded culture. We are testing and building tools to mitigate puma-livestock conflict in Costa Rica, Patagonia, California, and Washington to facilitate pumas, people and livestock sharing landscapes. 

Building Long-Term Conservation  

We invest in developing tools and future leaders to ensure our conservation impact is long-term. We conduct range-wide, large scale connectivity analyses to support landscape planning at national and regional scales. We invest in graduate students and others who will become our future conservation leaders. We collaborate and work with local Tribes to elevate their voices in the conservation arena.

Conservation Policy 

We work to change policies and create new policies that increase the conservation of pumas and the landscapes they inhabit. In Texas, USA, we are part of Texans for Mountain Lions and the effort to establish the first-ever mountain lion policies in the state. In other states and areas, we work with wildlife commissions and wildlife agencies to promote conservation policies for pumas based on the best available science.