City Kitties

The City of Angels isn't exactly heaven for big cats, but cougars there do have some guardians who are helping them cross over ... the freeways.

Although we don't tend to associated cougars with cities, a population of them exists in the area around Los Angeles. The city puts a lot of stress on that population though.

As a species, cougars require large territories. Consequently, the roads in L.A. pose a major challenge. Some cougars are killed by cars, and the city's road system segments the population, creating a high risk of inbreeding.

Two environmental groups have stepped in to help address the problem with the "Save L.A. Cougars" campaign. The National Wildlife Federation and the Santa Monica Mountains Fund are working to raise money and support for a wildlife crossing over the 101 Freeway. The crossing would give cougars and other wildlife a safe place to move between the areas divided by the road. To learn more about the project, click here.

It's good to know someone is watching over L.A.'s cougars.

Curiosity and the Cat

We all know what curiosity supposedly did to the cat, but maybe, a little more curiosity on our part would help cougars.

Usually, we don't think of cougars as living close to us, and most of the cougar encounters we hear about are negative ones (for example, a cougar attacking a person or a domestic animal). This has helped produce the perception that having cougars close by is a bad thing, leading to extermination efforts.

On the other hand, our perception of cougars might be different if we realized just how much they are around us, and all it would take is a little investigating. Fortunately, technology is making such investigations easier, and efforts like the Santa Cruz Puma Project (SCPP) are providing information about an animal we know surprisingly little about despite it sometimes being literally in our backyard. Watch some of the work by the SCPP in the video below:



For more information on the SCPP and to learn more cougars, click here.

We overlook a lot of opportunities to see how we connect with our environment, but we have the ability to make the most of those chances and further that relationship if we'd just take a closer look.

The Tough Love of Nature

This afternoon, I had a conversation with a friend, and at one point, we started talking about being out in nature. That discussion led me to some reflection.

My friend is from the East Coast, and she talked about growing up in suburbia and feeling apprehensive when she leaves behind civilization for wild areas. She said she sometimes worries about encounters with wildlife. Being a child of the rural Pacific Northwest, I grew up surrounded by nature, wild areas, and wildlife, so I told her how I often get uneasy in cities (in essence, the reverse of her concerns).

After the conversation, however, I thought more about what she had said. I came to the conclusion that for as much as I love being out in nature, in the back of my mind, I am always a little wary of its power.

I've never seen a cougar in the wild, but I have seen cougar tracks and also a black bear. While the chances of being attacked by either a cougar or a black bear in the wild are small, seeing those animals or even just seeing signs of them is a reminder that people don't get to call the shots in nature.

I try to meet nature on its terms, and I also attempt to keep alert. I think being wary of what nature can do is a good thing and is important to the interaction we have with it. In fact, it might be one of the reasons I like being in nature. When I come through the experience of being reminded of my place, I get a sense of comfort and belonging.