We are conducting surveys, monitoring, and research on cougars (puma, mountain lion) on the Ladder Ranch in south-central New Mexico. Here, cougars are of particular interest given their effects on state-endangered desert bighorn sheep and other valuable big game. These projects are also resources for training and education, most notably through the Cougar Field Workshop.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Above is an updated and exciting map of all of AM1's locations to date. AM1 was collared on 24 April, 2007 and we began collecting data the same day. His home range has been almost exclusively within the Rio Grande flood plain. The blue line on the Fra Cristobal Range in the foreground represents the 5,000ft contour line and the demarcation of the bighorn recovery area. As you can see, in over a year of tracking this male has stayed out of the recovery area and away from the sheep. The most exciting aspect of this map is that it also shows the four locations far to the west of the floodplain that were recorded the week following the application of male tiger uring to a scent post. Again, this has exciting academic as well as practical implications regarding scent marking and behavioral ecology.

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