There is growing interest in the scientific community as well as among the public, about the recovery of cougar populations. Cougars were once the most widespread large carnivore in the Americas, but fear, overreaction to their effects on livestock, and the exploitation of them for bounties led to extirpation in the majority of their former […]

A new male mountain lion, P-45, has been documented in the Santa Monica Mountains.

A young mountain lion was struck and killed by a motorist near Chadron State Park on Thanksgiving. The male cougar weighed about 92 pounds, and was estimated to be about 2 years old by Nebraska Game and Parks biologists. Click here to read the full story from the Lincoln Journal Star.

A Florida Panther tracked by researchers journeyed over 800 miles in 5 months, likely looking for a mate.

With delisting an increasingly likely prospect, acclaimed author Todd Wilkinson and renowned wildlife photographer/Cougar Fund co-founder Thomas Mangelsen consider what’s next for the grizzly. As the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming deliberate whether to hunt the bear, Wilkinson and Mangelsen present us with powerful and compelling reasons to reject the notion of killing these high-functioning […]

An in-depth look at the many challenges Santa Monica's isolated mountain lion population is facing.

A new study published in the journal Ecological Modeling has predicted that cougars may recolonize large blocks of suitable habitat in the Midwest within the next 25 years. While it appears ecologically possible, it also needs to be socially possible! Head over to our Living With Cougars page for more information on how to live and recreate safely […]

The state of Florida has announced that it will invest over $5 million in the construction of a fence to keep endangered Florida panthers off of a deadly stretch of I-75.

Lab tests have confirmed that well-known Santa Monica lion P-34’s death was caused by exposure to rodenticides. P-34 is the third mountain lion in Santa Monica National Recreation Area’s long-running study to die from rodenticide poisoning. Click here to read the full story from the Thousand Oaks Acorn.

Thanks to Governor Inslee for listening to the plea of  advocates. He has made a decision that inspires respect for you, and in turn, respect for the process of the great state your represent. We hope that future season setting will be based upon the sound science that flows from Washington’s Academic Institutions and from WDFW’s very own […]