May 12, 2008 10:17 am US/Pacific
UC Santa Cruz To Track Mountain Lion Movements
SANTA CRUZ (BCN) ―
Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz will soon begin satellite tracking of mountain lions traversing the Santa Cruz Mountains, in an attempt to learn more about the big cats' behavior as human development expands into their habitats, the university announced.
The Bay Area Puma Project—a three-year pilot study conducted by the university in partnership with the Marin County-based Felidae Conservation Fund and the state Department of Fish and Game—will attach collars with Global Positioning System devices to up to five of the felines, tracking their movements and hunting locations.
Researchers hope to discover how mountain lions, which can have ranges up to 500 square miles per individual, navigate increasingly developed areas, between mountain ranges and across state highways.
Eventually, they hope to be able to assess the puma's vulnerability to habitat disturbance and environmental change, and how to minimize conflict with humans.
The researchers said they plan to expand the study later into the North Bay and Diablo Mountain range in the East Bay.
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