Most cougar deaths in Alberta study were caused by people
Hunting was the leading cause of death among the cougars tracked
Patrick Cummins once had a cougar cross his backyard, climb onto his deck and walk across the roof of his home.
asserted
cougar → cause → home
Cummins, who lives near Bergen, Alta., didn't see the cougar.
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who → live → cougar
He only saw its tracks in the snow.
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He → see → snow
In 51 years living on the property, Cummins has never seen a cougar there with his own eyes, though he has caught the elusive predators on trail cameras.
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he → live → cameras
"We always knew there was cougars there," Cummins said.
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Cummins → know → ?
"I suppose we were sort of always looking over our shoulder a little bit, but they've never bothered anybody around here that I know of.
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I → suppose → that
But tracks can make an otherwise invisible predator vulnerable.
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predator → make → ?
A cougar crosses Patrick Cummins's property near Bergen, Alta., on Feb. 7.
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cougar → cross → Feb.
New research examines how the human footprint affects cougar survival in west-central Alberta.
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footprint → examine → Alberta
New research from west-central Alberta suggests roads, homes and other human-made corridors cutting through cougar habitat may affect not only where the animals go, but their chances of survival.
uncertain
animals → suggest → survival
Researchers tracked 80 GPS-collared cougars over five years and found their mortality risk was higher when the animals were closer to homes and secondary roads and when they crossed human-made clearings more frequently.
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they → track → clearings
Of 37 documented deaths, 29 were caused by people.
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29 → document → people
"I think that's just all about access for hunters, really," said Carter Littlefair, lead author of the study, published Wednesday in PLOS One.
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Littlefair → think → PLOS
Littlefair, who completed the research while a graduate student at the University of Alberta, said secondary roads can provide hunters with easier access to cougar habitat.
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roads → complete → habitat
Clearings can also reveal where the animals have travelled.
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animals → reveal → ?
"If a cougar was to cross the road, it's going to leave tracks.
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it → cross → tracks
"
Cougars often avoid trails used by people, which is why the province hopes to reduce trail density in key wildlife areas.
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province → avoid → areas
(Submitted Delaney Frame/Alberta Environment and Parks)
Human footprint linked to mortality risk
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footprint → submit → risk
The study followed cougars between 2016 and 2021 across a landscape that included secondary roads and human-made clearings such as seismic lines, powerline corridors and railways.
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that → follow → lines
Hunting was the largest single cause of death, accounting for 16 of the 37.
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Hunting → account → 37
Another eight cougars died after being caught in traps intended for other animals.
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cougars → die → animals
Five others were killed in vehicle collisions or removals involving problem animals or by a landowner.
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others → kill → landowner
Researchers also found a large seasonal difference in survival.
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Researchers → find → survival
Alberta's cougar hunting season during the study began Dec. 1 each year and ran through the end of February or until quotas were met.
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quotas → begin → February
The research found an association between cougar mortality risk and human-made features, but did not directly measure hunter activity.
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research → find → activity
Littlefair said increased hunter access and the likelihood of detecting cougars could help explain the relationship.
uncertain
access → say → relationship
CBC News requested comment from Alberta Forestry and Parks but did not receive a response by publication time.
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News → request → time
What the findings mean for the population
Researchers estimated annual survival at about 60 per cent, which Littlefair said is similar to other hunted cougar populations.
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Littlefair → mean → populations
Hunting also accounted for a smaller share of mortality than in some other studies, he said.
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he → account → studies
The study did not estimate population size or reproduction, so researchers cannot say whether the population is growing, stable or declining.
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population → estimate → size
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Littlefair said the research provides insight into how cougars die, but cannot determine whether they are dying at an unsustainable rate.
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they → link → rate
For Cummins, the role people played in the deaths was unexpected.
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people → play → deaths
"Yeah, that surprises me," he said.
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he → surprise → me
"There's more people in the rural areas these days than there used to be," Cummins said.
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Cummins → be → areas
"So from that sense, maybe it's caused by more people being out in the bush."
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people → cause → bush
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