Increases in Midwestern cougars despite harvest in a source population

LaRue, Michelle A.; Nielsen, Clayton K.; Pease, Brent S.

doi:10.1002/jwmg.21693

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Conservation agencies may facilitate positive attitudes toward mountain lions by engaging and educating stakeholders (Davenport et al 2010, Smith et al 2014, LaRue et al 2019), and our study suggests social media and online games may serve as a complement to such efforts, providing thoughtful planning is conducted prior to engagement. Specifically, social media‐based games like #CougarOrNot may help conservation agencies reach large audiences, identify supportive members of the public, foster community engagement, and potentially even promote positive attitudes toward mountain lions.…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…#CougarOrNot is a social media game that, at the time of study, was sent to ~13,000 followers on Twitter every week from the individual profile of a professional scientist. Each Friday, a photo of an animal was submitted to a nonprofit organization entitled the Cougar Network for professional consideration as a mountain lion confirmation (as in LaRue et al, 2019; typically, a trail camera photo). Followers were able to review the photo to determine whether the species in the photo was indeed a mountain lion, or another animal (hence, the name of the game).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although mountain lion hunting occurs in much of western North America (Peebles et al 2013), laws prohibit hunting in areas with diminished populations (Cardoza and Langlois 2002). Moreover, key prey species have recovered throughout much of the continent (Nowell and Jackson 1996) and suitable dispersal corridors (LaRue and Nielsen 2008, 2011) enable re‐establishment of mountain lions in portions of midwestern North America (LaRue et al 2012, 2019; LaRue and Nielsen 2016), such as in the Dakotas and Nebraska (Fecske 2003, Wilson et al 2010). Consequently, range expansion could lead to novel human‐mountain lion interactions in areas where people and mountain lions have not lived sympatrically for over a century (Smith et al 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attitudes of Social Media Users Toward Mountain Lions in North America

LaRue

Nielsen

2021

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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Social media is often used to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and engage the public, which can change the public's attitudes and behaviors and may be used to benefit conservation. Moreover, widespread social media use provides an alternative data sourcing platform to inexpensively access countless potential respondents. However, social media data have rarely been used in conservation regardless of the potential benefit to conservation science and practice. We administered a questionnaire via the #CougarOrNot Twitter game, a mountain lion‐focused social media campaign, during 26 December 2016 through 16 February 2018, to access a large respondent sample (n = 1,481) and assess a subset of social media users’ attitudes toward mountain lions in North America. We then used cumulative link models in an information theoretic approach to gauge the association between respondent level of engagement with #CougarOrNot and other sociodemographic predictors with user attitudes toward mountain lions. Respondent attitudes toward mountain lions were largely positive (83%), with frequent participants in #CougarOrNot, females, pet owners, nonconsumptive recreators, and households with fewer children exhibiting positive attitudes. #CougarOrNot participation had a stronger correlation with respondent attitudes toward mountain lions than commonly used predictors employed in prior studies (i.e. age, education level, livestock ownership). #CougarOrNot may promote positive attitudes toward mountain lions, though additional research is needed to determine the direct effects of playing the game. Stakeholders interested in mountain lion conservation or other conservation topics could be identified via social media networks attached to specific outreach campaigns and possibly mobilized to support conservation actions that aid mountain lions and conservation in general. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attitudes of Social Media Users Toward Mountain Lions in North America

LaRue

Nielsen

2021

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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“…There is evidence that the initial Pine Ridge population emigrated from the Black Hills of South Dakota (Jenks 2018). While no published genetic studies include Nebraska mountain lion specimens, genetic and isotopic studies suggest that Nebraska populations may have connections to eastern Wyoming and North Dakota populations as well (Henaux et al 2011, Juarez et al 2016, LaRue et al 2019. Riparian areas may be important habitat and movement corridors for mountain lions into and across Nebraska (Henaux et al 2011, LaRue and.…”

Section: Puma Concolor Cougarmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observations on the Distribution and Status of Selected Nebraska Mammals

Roehrs¹,

Benedict²,

Labedz³

et al. 2021

TNAS

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Information on the distribution and current status of 25 species or subspecies of mammals occurring in Nebraska are presented. The species covered include one shrew, an armadillo, eight bats, 10 rodents (including two subspecies of one species), three carnivores, and one artiodactyl. Distributional information reported includes the first state record for one species (Sorex nanus) and new county records for 18 species. In Nebraska, we know that mammals are shifting their geographic ranges with some extending populations into the state, whereas others are expanding their geographic ranges within the state. The current status of six additional mammalian taxa in Nebraska is documented, providing knowledge important to the conservation of these species during this time of shifting environmental conditions. The concern is that some mammals have suffered population declines since the 1940s and may have a contracting geographic range as well in the state. These species would be endangered and could be lost to the mammalian fauna of the state. Extensive data on reproduction in these mammals are presented and the taxonomy of species is updated from the 1964 Mammals of Nebraska by Jones.

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“…LaRue and Nielsen (2016) predicted that cougars would likely recolonize the western Great Lakes region by 2040. However, recent (2015–2018) observations of female cougars in Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, and eastern North Dakota (LaRue et al 2019) may indicate that cougars will recolonize portions of the western Great Lakes region sooner than predicted.…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

Attitudes Towards a Transient Carnivore Prior to Recolonization

Olson

Goethlich

Goudos-Weisbecker

2021

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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Cougars (Puma concolor) have been recolonizing portions of their historic range over the last few decades and are currently a rare, transient species in the western Great Lakes Region. Anticipatory attitude surveys can identify potential management challenges, stakeholder groups, and conservation and educational priorities for recolonizing cougars. We implemented an anticipatory attitude survey to better understand attitudes towards transient cougars in northern Wisconsin, USA. We distributed the survey in fall and early winter of 2014–15 (n = 423) and 2015–16 (n = 594). We compared attitudes towards transient cougars to attitudes towards other established large carnivores and white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We also explored factors that may affect human attitudes towards cougars, such as hunter identity, livestock ownership, risk perception, and the loss of a domestic animal to wildlife. Despite the rare, transient status of cougars in Wisconsin, many respondents (mean of 29%) reported to have observed a cougar or sign of one in the wild in Wisconsin. Cougars had a mean favorability score similar to coyotes (Canis latrans) and wolves (Canis lupus) and less than bobcats (Lynx rufus), bear (Ursus americanus), and white‐tailed deer. Comparatively, respondents’ risk perception for all categories of risk (i.e., fear for personal safety, the safety of children, and the safety of domestic animals) was higher for cougars than for wolves. Hunter identity and loss of livestock to wildlife were determined by multinomial logistic regression as the most important parameters affecting respondents’ favorability towards cougars (ωi = 0.71). Using the 2015–2016 survey data, we found that as cougar risk perception increased, favorability towards cougars decreased similarly for both hunters and non‐hunters. Hunters were less likely to be favorable towards cougars, more likely to be neutral, and equally likely to be unfavorable towards cougars compared to nonhunters. We identify potential management challenges, stakeholder groups (e.g., hunters and those who have experienced loss of livestock to wildlife), and conservation and educational priorities for recolonizing cougars. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

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Increases in Midwestern cougars despite harvest in a source population

Cited by 10 publications

References 30 publications

Attitudes of Social Media Users Toward Mountain Lions in North America

Attitudes of Social Media Users Toward Mountain Lions in North America

Observations on the Distribution and Status of Selected Nebraska Mammals

Attitudes Towards a Transient Carnivore Prior to Recolonization

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