![]() Pumas using the parks also tend to avoid buildings and campgrounds but move closer to the extensive system of trails and fire roads as night falls. Although pumas are least active during daylight hours when park visitors are most active, overlapping activity periods do occur around dusk and dawn. Study results relating to puma behavior patterns indicate that pumas and people generally have opposite activity periods. In accordance with the study objectives, capture and tracking data have been continuously collected and analyzed. Since fieldwork began in 2001, we have studied 20 pumas, including 16 captured and collared in or near the parks. ![]() Vickers has also conducted a survey of residents living near the parks to gauge opinions about current mountain lion management strategies, and to determine the percentage of pet and livestock owners in the area who adequately protect their animals from mountain lion predation. Winston Vickers, Staff Veterinarian for IWS (left in photo), assists in puma captures, conducts physical exams, and collects samples to assess the animals’ health and disease status. The objectives of the study, initiated in 2001, include estimating puma population density, determining individual home ranges, assessing the animals’ health status, and identifying puma activity patterns in relation to people and prey. Boyce, Co-Director of the Wildlife Health Center at U.C. It was a collaborative effort among California State Parks, the Wildlife Health Center at the University of California, Davis, the California Department of Fish and Game, IWS, and others. The project was focused on activity in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Anza Borrega State Park, and surrounding areas. The Institute participated in research examining the relationship between mountain lions (pumas), bighorn sheep, deer, domestic animals, and people in eastern San Diego County in southern California. ![]()
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