Dealing Cougars City of EP
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Transcript of Dealing Cougars City of EP
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Dealing with Cougars in Texas
Lois Balin
Urban Wildlife Biologist
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Photo from TPWD
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Goals:
Proactive guidance forliving in lion county
Guidance for dealing withnuisance or dangerous
lions
How to reduce the risk ofattack on humans.
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Adults are a unspotted large tawny-colored cat
Males up to 81/2 feet; 61/2 feet in females
Males up to180 lbs; females 100 - 130 lbs
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Historic Geographic Range of Cougars
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Diet
Deer
Javelina
Elk
Bighorn sheep
Other mammals
Grasses
Other plants
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Reproduction
Year-round breeding
Mature 2.5 3.0 years
Gestation 90 99 days
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Reproduction
Birth in dens, usually 2-3 kittens
Coats are spotted for 6 months
Disperse at 1 2 years old
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Siblings stay together 2-3 months after leaving their mother
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from Puma Field Guide, The Cougar Network
Lion Tracks compared with Dog Tracks
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Upper 1.8 to 2
Lower 1.6 to 1.8
Photo from Puma Field Guide, The Cougar Network
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Lion Kill Sign
Photos from Puma Field Guide, The Cougar Network
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The Far Side
Nuisance
Wildlife
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Cougar Attacks on Humans in the U.S. & Canada
Attacks on humans are exceedingly rare, but have increasedin recent decades
Photo from TPWD
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Attack Statistics for 101 years (1890-1991)
10 fatal attacks on 10 humans
44 nonfatal attacks on 48 humans
Paul Beirer (1991)
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Current Cumulative Attack Statistics
16 fatal attacks
92 nonfatal attacks
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Victims were mainly unsupervised children
30% of all attacks were near developed areas
Most victims did not see the lion
Photo from TPWD
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Speculative Causes of Increased Attacks
Reduced cougar habitat
Encroachment by humans Increase in cougar numbers
Habituation to humans
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Characteristics of Attacking Cougars
Underweight and yearlings
42% under 2 years of age 57% were underweight
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Trends in Frequency of Attacks (1970-2011)
1970-1980: 0.5 human attacks/year
1981-1990: 2.5 human attacks/year 1990-2003: 3.5 human attacks/year
2004-2011: 4.4 human attacks/year
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Put in perspective with other types of attacks
5,000 rattlesnake bites/yr with 12 deaths/yr
40 deaths/yr from bee stings 3 deaths/yr from black widow spider
18-20 deaths/yr from dog attacks
86 deaths/yr from lightning strikes
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Texas Parks and Wildlife Conducts Statewide
Status Surveys (2003 current)
To Discover :
Cougar distributions
Population status Management needs
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Reporting Categories
Sighting - human observation
Encounter - unexpected and neutral meeting
Incident interaction requiring action from the human
Attack human is chased, injured, or killed
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What to do if You Encounter a Cougar
STAY CALM; talk in a confident yet calm voice
IMMEDIATELY PICK UP ALL CHILDREN
NEVERRUN!
DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON THE LION
Face the lion and remain upright
Back away from the lion, slowly
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If the Cougar does not leave:
DO ALL YOU CAN TO ENLARGE YOUR IMAGE
SHOUT LOUDLY AT THE LION
PICK UP ROCKS AND THROW THEM AT THE LION
FIGHT BACK
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Precautions to Take if You Live in Cougar Country
Refrain from feeding pets outside
Refrain from leaving water outside
Bring pets in at night
Encourage your neighbors to do the same
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Precautions to Take if You Live in Cougar
Country
Closely supervise children
Keep kids inside before or near to dusk or dawn
Teach them what to do
Prevention is far better than confrontation
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Precautions to Take if You Live in Cougar
Country
DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE
USE NATIVE PLANTS in landscaping
REDUCE HIDING COVER AND SPACESfor cougars
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What to do if you see a cougar?
Report any sightings (location) of cougar
Document with photo
Report nuisance/dangerous lion behavior
To report a sighting or encounter call:
TPWD Game Wardens 834-7050
TPWD Urban Wildlife Biologist 774-9603
To report an incident or attack: call Police 911
Questions, contact:
Lois Balin
(915) 774-9603
