Cougar

The relationship between humans and mountain lions has always been uneasy. A century ago, mountain lions were vilified as a threat to livestock and hunted to the verge of extinction. In recent years, this keystone predator has made a remarkable comeback, but today humans and mountain lions appear destined for a collision course. Its recovery has led to an unexpected conundrum: Do more mountain lions mean they’re a threat to humans and domestic animals? Or, are mountain lions still in need of our help and protection as their habitat dwindles and they’re forced into the edges and crevices of communities to survive? Mountain lion biologist and expert Mark Elbroch welcomes these tough questions. He dismisses long-held myths about mountain lions and uses groundbreaking science to uncover important new information about their social habits. Elbroch argues that humans and mountain lions can peacefully coexist in close proximity if we ignore uninformed hype and instead arm ourselves with knowledge and common sense. He walks us through the realities of human safety in the presence of mountain lions, livestock safety, competition with hunters for deer and elk, and threats to rare species, dispelling the paranoia with facts and logic. In the last few chapters, he touches on human impacts on mountain lions and the need for a sensible management strategy. The result, he argues, is a win-win for humans, mountain lions, and the ecosystems that depend on keystone predators to keep them in healthy balance. The Cougar Conundrum delivers a clear-eyed assessment of a modern wildlife challenge, offering practical advice for wildlife managers, conservationists, hunters, and those in the wildland-urban interface who share their habitat with large predators.

Cougar’s Crossing “To read a book by Lillian Ross is to travel to another time and place with characters who quickly become family. Read this true-to-life novel to feel the essence of the rugged era on the Canadian prairies… raw, messy, inspired by hope and motivated by grit. Ross weaves a poignant drama of wounded love, jealousy and human emotion.” Corrine McConchie, Librarian Vancouver Excerpt from Iris Tuftin’s Editor’s Comment …Could this be ‘his’ remains, we wondered? The hated man who killed our Aunt Florence in 1921? …The facts were overwhelming – more fascinating than we ever imagined. Now the story of Cougar’s Crossing would have to be changed. We knew the truth – or most of it. A Historical Novel with a Mysterious Twist The loud, brash, irreverent Cougar Wright swore like a trooper and didn’t believe in a higher power than his own strength, but he loved his family and wanted them to join him in his struggle to tame the wilderness. His family’s dance with destiny in Alberta’s Northwest would shake his world and theirs.

Cougar shifter Mason Foye is used to getting things he doesn’t want. First, his father died, leaving Mason the heir apparent of the alpha position of a group of mutinous cats. Now, the absentee goddess who created the species is sending him and his brothers on an ill-timed mate hunt. And her message, for once, is clear: convince a stranger to become his mate, or else. When Ellery Colvard embarks on a camping trip with her two best friends, she expects bonding and maybe a little adventure, not to be kidnapped by a supernatural menace for the second time in a year. But this time, she’s nobody’s victim. The witch is prepared to use every trick in her arsenal to escape. But…she’s not entirely sure she’s supposed to. Powerful entities seem to be conspiring to push the two reluctant parties together, but can they trust the magic is real? Because if it isn’t, Mason may be cursed to spend the rest of his days roaming in his four-legged form—a bad deal for a father of an infant son.

Hannah Welch doomed cougar shifter Sean Foye to spend the rest of his life in his animal form when she refused to accept him as a mate, but now she has no choice but to make peace. She strikes a bargain with the Cougar goddess La Bella Dama that frees Sean from his furry affliction, but also requires that Hannah to find him a more suitable mate. When the goddess sends them on a mission to root out a group of dangerous forgotten shifters, Sean has no choice but to put his anger toward Hannah on ice. The sooner he can get back to the ranch, the sooner he can disentangle himself from the hostile woman who was supposed to be his mate. But now Hannah’s not so sure she should give him up. He’s the only man who’s ever made her feel comfortable in her own skin—and her own fur, too. Unfortunately, Sean’s got hang-ups of his own. Just like her, he’s used to being overlooked. Can she prove to him that their destiny deserves a second chance? Or will they continue to walk alone, rejecting the loving, yet daunting, future Fate had in store for them?

Most Americans have never seen a cougar in the wild. Their range has continued to shrink during the last 100 years. They are under great environmental stress. According to the Defenders of Wildlife, the Florida Panther is one of the country’s most endangered mammals. There is no doubt that cougars are dangerous predators. However, they rarely see humans as prey. They do see humans as trespassers. There is a difference. The likelihood of being killed by a cougar is one in a billion. However, according to the CDC, the chances of being murdered in the USA in a given year is 1 in 18,989. The data does not justify calling these creatures man-eaters. But they are nature’s perfect hunters, and they deserve our respect and right to co-exist with us. This book will help the reader become better acquainted and educated about North America’s second-largest cat. Be cautious, take heed, and enjoy nature and our wild America.

Maurice Hornocker is recognized worldwide as the first scientist to unravel the secrets of America's most enigmatic predator—the mountain lion. A story of redemption, this book is a memoir about the never-before-told adventures, challenges, and controversies surrounding Hornocker’s groundbreaking study of cougars in the remote reaches of the Idaho Primitive Area. North America's biggest cat was once killed for bounty dollars, slaughtered with impunity and driven toward extinction. But today's cat of intrigue, despite our lingering fears and misconceptions, has returned to much of its native range in the western United States and gained respect as a predator integral and necessary to wild ecosystems. This turnaround was triggered by one man: Maurice Hornocker. Cougars on the Cliff recounts the early years of his research (1964–1973) when he tracked lions following a dog’s nose and footprints in the snow—before telemetry was available. Hornocker was first to learn that mountain lions living in stable populations limit their own numbers through territoriality and a concept he called “mutual avoidance.” This insight flew in the face of long-held beliefs that cougars were prolific and wanton killers that needed to be controlled as vermin. Thanks to Hornocker’s work, today cougars can be found throughout the West and have even started to reclaim their place in New England.