The Value of the Mountain Lion: Dr. Mark Elbroch, Panthera

11/01/20 • 23 min

Today, more than ever – the mountain lion is mired in controversy, misinformation and fear and their very existence in the landscapes across America are inextricably interwined with the tricky politics of managing wildlife reserves in the US.

What role does the mountain lion play in these ecosystems? What value if any, does it provide the local people and economies? And how do we move forward with the conservation of this species for all people. It's quite the cougar conundrum!

This episode features Dr. Mark Elbroch, director of the Puma Program at Panthera and author of the new book, 'The Cougar Conundrum'

Buy the Book

Island Press (Buy direct from publisher)
Amazon US
Book Depository
Booko (AU)

Links

This episode features Dr. Mark Elbroch, director of the Puma Program at Panthera and author of the new book, 'The Cougar Conundrum'

Buy the Book

Island Press (Buy direct from publisher)
Amazon US
Book Depository
Booko (AU)

Links

Previous Episode

On the Trail with the Black-Footed Cat: Dr. Alexander Sliwa, Black-Footed Cat Working Group

Southern Africa is home to world's deadliest cat. It's not a lion, a cheetah or even a leopard – it’s the Black-footed cat.

Today, we know quite a bit about this cat – but this wasn't the case almost thirty years ago when Dr. Alexander Sliwa started his research into this species.

Research like this takes time, effort and most importantly passion. It can be tedious, arduous and sometimes boring. This is the story of Dr Sliwa and his passion for studying Africa's black footed cat.

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Next Episode

The Last Island of the Ocelot: Ricardo Meade, El Socorro Centre for Wildlife Conservation

The islands of Trinidad and Tobago have incredible biodiversity with tropical rainforests described as a mini Amazon, hundreds of species of birds and the last remaining island population of ocelots. All of this however is under threat - deforestation is tearing down precious habitats, hunting is rife and the island is at the nexus of the illegal wildlife trade.

But there's a local wildlife rehabilitation centre in Trinidad that's educating local Trinibagonians about their island's unique biodiversity and working to conserve, rescue and rehabilitate its native species – including the ocelot.

So how does the ocelot fit into this island's ecosystem? How can they thrive in these diminishing forests under all these threat? And will future research into the ocelot in Trinidad, reveal an entirely new subspecies of ocelot – to the world.

This episode features Ricardo Meade from the El Socorro Centre for Wildlife Conservation.

Links