A project to study mountain lions in their Mayacamas Mountains habitat is officially underway with the outfitting of a female lion with a GPS collar. Now, for the first time, Audubon Canyon Ranch researchers can track the wild 90-pound cat as it roams its 1,000-acre habitat.
Biologists used a humanely-designed cage trap to capture the animal on Sonoma Land Trust property in Sonoma Valley The trap was fitted with a radio trap transmitter and motion-activated cameras, allowing the team to be notified instantly once the mountain lion was inside minimizing stress and possible injury to the animal.
“P1 (for Puma 1) was in excellent health and under anesthesia for less than an hour,” said Dr. Quinton Martins. “And she’s already on the move.”
“What an exciting moment for the project,” said ACR Executive Director John Petersen, noting that this marks the first mountain lion to be captured and fitted with a GPS collar under a Scientific Collection permit issued to ACR by California Department of Fish and Wildlife in July.
“This project is going to yield invaluable data for conservation efforts not just locally, throughout California,” Petersen said.
The ACR project plans to collar more mountain lions in coming months with assistance from its project partners and support from local landowners. “We’ve been so fortunate that so many landowners in this area are interested in mountain lions and willing to provide us access to their land,” Martins said.
ACR’s data will provide a better understanding of how wildlife in general move between habitat areas.
“Mountain lions are sometimes called an ‘umbrella species’ because they have large ranges and special habitat requirements,” said Jeanne Wirka, ACR’s Director of Stewardship. “If a mountain lion population is able to survive and thrive in a fragmented landscape, it suggests other animals can as well.”
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