Synopses & Reviews
The cougar is one of the most beautiful, enigmatic, and majestic animals in the Americas. Eliciting reverence for its grace and independent nature, it also triggers fear when it comes into contact with people, pets, and livestock or competes for hunters’ game. Mystery, myth, and misunderstanding surround this remarkable creature.
The cougar’s range once extended from northern Canada to the tip of South America, and from the Pacific to the Atlantic, making it the most widespread animal in the western hemisphere. But overhunting and loss of habitat vastly reduced cougar numbers by the early twentieth century across much of its historical range, and today the cougar faces numerous threats as burgeoning human development encroaches on its remaining habitat.
When Maurice Hornocker began the first long-term study of cougars in the Idaho wilderness in 1964, little was known about this large cat. Its secretive nature and rarity in the landscape made it difficult to study. But his groundbreaking research yielded major insights and was the prelude to further research on this controversial species.
The capstone to Hornocker’s long career studying big cats, Cougar is a powerful and practical resource for scientists, conservationists, and anyone with an interest in large carnivores. He and conservationist Sharon Negri bring together the diverse perspectives of twenty-two distinguished scientists to provide the fullest account of the cougar’s ecology, behavior, and genetics, its role as a top predator, and its conservation needs. This compilation of recent findings, stunning photographs, and firsthand accounts of field research unravels the mysteries of this magnificent animal and emphasizes its importance in healthy ecosystem processes and in our lives.
Review
“No one is more qualified than Dr. Maurice Hornocker to produce the worlds most complete book on cougar ecology and management. Ranchers, wildlife managers, citizen advocates and animal lovers will all enjoy this magical tour through the mysterious world of the cougar.”—Jim Williams Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Program Manager and current Vice President of the Wild Felid Research and Management Association
Jim Williams
Review
“
Cougar is a mighty compendium by twenty-two cougar authorities who share considerable first-hand experience in the field. A very important contribution, this book will surely takes its place as the definitive work on this fascinating, beautiful, and ever elusive animal.”—Peter Matthiessen
Peter Matthiessen
Review
“
Cougar is an encyclopedic tribute to the resilience of the American lion and the scientists who devote their careers to understanding it. Written by a blue-ribbon lineup of cougar experts, this is the most exhaustive and accessible overview of the species ever produced—it goes from showing how cougars eke out an existence in the remote Southern Andes to revealing the challenges they face negotiating superhighways in urban California and Florida. Suffering intense persecution across much of Latin America yet recovering and recolonizing former range in the United States, the adaptable cougar is a model for shaping a human future that includes large cats.
Cougar is both timely warning and guidebook for what it will take to realize that vision. It will be a long time before there is anything more complete on the bookshelves.”— Luke Hunter, Executive Director, Panthera
Luke Hunter
Review
and#8220;Large Carnivore Conservation provides a critical assessment of our largely failed attempts to conserve most species of large carnivores in North America at an important time. As growing human pressures continue to impact large carnivore populations, as global climate change increasingly affects carnivore habitats and food sources, and as the discourse over the appropriate management of large carnivores becomes ever more polarized and steeped in incivility, the timing of a book aimed at improving conservation could not be better.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Very timely. With many large carnivores now recovered or recovering and spilling into the human-occupied landscape, the issues of conservation and governance are many, and the ability of these recovered populations to continue to exist is somewhat tenuous. Large Carnivore Conservation ties together several lines of thought from psychology to game and fish management and from social science to the biological literature to present its case from an interdisciplinary perspective. By doing this, it moves the conversation and our understanding to a new level. This book could significantly impact the conservation of large carnivores.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Although more science is always better, many of our problems now are cultural or political, but we still seem to forge on by gathering more data. We actually know a lot about controversial carnivores, but weand#8217;re still stuck. Clark and Rutherford bring together a collection of voices pointing in another directionand#8212;better institutions and decision making. Building on decades of work, this book integrates biological knowledge with human dimensions study and charts a course for coexistence with large carnivores. Perhaps just in time, too. Large Carnivore Conservation is worth great attention and deep thought.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;Stresses that coexistence must be the name of the game. . . . That conservation is as much about people as it is about the scientific knowledge we have . . . . Each of the eleven chapters in Clark and Rutherfordandrsquo;s book is well worth the time.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;This collection of papers and case studies focuses on the decision-making processes affecting carnivore conservation in the American West. Clark and Rutherford developed criteria for evaluating decision processes, and each case study provides a history and situation analysis followed by an evaluation relative to those criteria. . . . An excellent book for a graduate-level conservation policy discussion seminar. Highly recommended.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Using a series of conceptual overviews and detailed on-the-ground case studies, this book argues persuasively that coexistence between humans and large carnivores requires improved governance that is designed to mitigate rather than exacerbate conflict between people with opposing views about large carnivores. . . . This book warns us that . . . gains are potentially short-lived if stakeholders fail to improve the decision making processes that underpin successful large carnivore conservation.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Clark, Rutherford, and coauthors draw on six case studies of governance problems related to wolves, grizzly bears, and mountain lions and report some innovative strategies with promising empirical results. One of the success stories is the support of human-grizzly bear coexistence through collaboration with rural communities, wildlife agencies, and conservation groups in the Blackfoot River Watershed in Montana. The key elements for positive, sustainable outcomes of the partnership were effective communication and building a sense of local responsibility and ownership of the management activities. . . . Not only call[s] for a change in the way we conserve our large carnivores but also remind[s] us that each of us can do better to attempt to coexist. The path is not easy, but there is hope.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Large Carnivore Conservation argues that conserving and living sustainably with large carnivores is as much a problem of people and governanceand#151;of competing values, perspectives, and organizations, and of decision-making in the public sphereand#151;as it is a problem of animal ecology and behavior. Adopting an integrative approach, it considers the development of conservation science and legislation alongside the implementation of decisions in the field and deliberations in courts as well as other public institutions, and it evaluates the efforts of individuals as well as groups of conservationists who are trying to reduce conflict and improve decision-making on both the state and local level.and#160;Drawing on six case studies of wolf, grizzly bear, and mountain lion conservation in a range stretching from the Yukon to Arizona, the book looks at a wide variety of stakeholders, from animal rights advocates, conservation NGOs, and federal parks agencies, to hunters, Native American tribes, and ranchers.and#160;
and#160;
Synopsis
Drawing on six case studies of wolf, grizzly bear, and mountain lion conservation in habitats stretching from the Yukon to Arizona,
Large Carnivore Conservation argues that conserving and coexisting with large carnivores is as much a problem of people and governanceand#151;of reconciling diverse and sometimes conflicting values, perspectives, and organizations, and of effective decision making in the public sphereand#151;as it is a problem of animal ecology and behavior. By adopting an integrative approach, editors Susan G. Clark and Murray B. Rutherford seek to examine and understand the interrelated development of conservation science, law, and policy, as well as how these forces play out in courts, other public institutions, and the field.
In combining real-world examples with discussions of conservation and policy theory, Large Carnivore Conservation not only explains how traditional management approaches have failed to meet the needs of all parties, but also highlights examples of innovative, successful strategies and provides practical recommendations for improving future conservation efforts.
About the Author
Susan G. Clark is the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Adjunct Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Policy Sciences in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University and the author, most recently, of Ensuring Greater Yellowstone's Future: Choices for Leaders and Citizens. She lives in Guilford, CT, and Jackson, WY.Murray B. Rutherford is associate professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. He lives in Vancouver and North Saanich, BC.
Table of Contents
Range Map
Foreword
Alan Rabinowitz
Preface
Maurice Hornocker and Sharon Negri
Acknowledgments
Part I. Research and Management Come of Age
The Bitterroot Tom
Maurice Hornocker
1 To Save a Mountain Lion: Evolving Philosophy of Nature and Cougars
R. Bruce Gill
2 The Emerging Cougar Chronicle
Harley Shaw
3 Lessons and Insights from Evolution, Taxonomy, and Conservation Genetics
Melanie Culver
4 Cougar Management in North America
United States: Charles R. Anderson Jr. and Frederick Lindzey
Canada: Kyle H. Knopff, Martin G. Jalkotzy, and Mark S. Boyce
Part II. Populations
Tracking for a Living
Kerry Murphy
5 Cougar Population Dynamics
Howard Quigley and Maurice Hornocker
6 What We Know about Pumas in Latin America
John W. Laundré and Lucina Hernández
7 The Worlds Southernmost Pumas in Patagonia and the Southern Andes
Susan Walker and Andrés Novaro
Part III. Cougars and Their Prey
Notes from the Field
Linda L. Sweanor
8 Behavior and Social Organization of a Solitary Carnivore
Kenneth A. Logan and Linda L. Sweanor
9 Diet and Prey Selection of a Perfect Predator
Kerry Murphy and Toni K. Ruth
10 Cougar-Prey Relationships
Toni K. Ruth and Kerry Murphy
11 Competition with Other Carnivores for Prey
Toni K. Ruth and Kerry Murphy
Part IV. Conservation and Coexisting with People
Death of a Towncat
Harley Shaw
12 A Focal Species for Conservation Planning
Paul Beier
13 Cougar-Human Interactions
Linda L. Sweanor and Kenneth A. Logan
14 People, Politics, and Cougar Management
David J. Mattson and Susan G. Clark
15 Cougar Conservation: The Growing Role of Citizens and Government
Sharon Negri and Howard Quigley
16 Pressing Business
Maurice Hornocker
Appendix 1: Genetics Techniques Primer
Appendix 2: Cougar Harvest in the United States
Appendix 3: Groups Participating in Cougar Management
Appendix 4: Cougar Litigation Summary, a Partial Listing
Appendix 5: Summary of Cougar Ballot Initiatives in the United States
References
Contributors
Index