Prey loss is another threat facing pumas. Pumas will follow their prey, but when there is no prey left they begin to move closer to humans and may prey on livestock. Since pumas follow their prey it is important to not feed wildlife like deer because there is a chance the pumas will show up looking for them.
There is a myth that pumas hunt livestock to the point of causing huge losses (PD Cougars at Risk, 2020). The Oregon Department of Agriculture stated they have $1.5 million dollars in livestock losses but only .2% are caused by pumas (PD Cougars at Risk, 2020). The majority of damages are caused by elk and deer, which are prey species of the puma (PD Cougars at Risk, 2020). If we allow pumas to prey on elk and deer they will control those populations which can reduce the amount of damage caused by those hoofstock.
When a puma makes a kill that one kill can benefit 275 species (Gross, 2019). Since their prey can benefit so many other species, pumas are considered ecosystem engineers which make them essential in the ecosystem. Pumas can eat up to 20 pounds of meat at a time and usually stay with their prey or carcass for about three days (Williams, 2018).
On the opposite side of things, when there is too much prey, they can cause havoc on the humans. It is estimated that 1.2 million deer-vehicle accidents occur every year, in the United States, resulting in an estimated $1.66 billion in damages (CBD & MLF, 2019; Gilbert et al., 2016). Deer can also carry ticks that have Lyme disease which can transfer to humans (CBD & MLF, 2019; Côté et al. 2004; Telford, 2017). By encouraging the presence of pumas, they can help reduce the number of deer-vehicle accidents and ticks by preying on the deer.
Habitat loss and lack of connectivity also has an impact on puma prey loss. Overhunting of puma prey is another issue. Puma presence signifies a healthy ecosystem and provides so much to the environment. You can help pumas by ensuring they have enough prey species in the area, protecting your livestock and domestic animals with deterrents, not feeding wildlife in your yard and encouraging their presence in their habitat.
Literature Cited
Center for Biological Diversity, & Mountain Lion Foundation. (2019, June 26). A petition to list the southern California/ central coast evolutionary significant unit (ESU) of mountain lions as threatened under the California endangered species act (CESA). https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3wagtail.biolgicaldiversity.org/documents/ CESA_petition_-_Southern_California_Central_Coast_Mountain_Lions.pdf
Côté, S. D., Rooney, T. P., Tremblay, J. P., Dussault, C., & Waller, D. M. (2004). Ecological
impacts of deer overabundance. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 35, 113-147.
Gilbert, S. L., Sivy, K. J., Pozzanghera, C. B., DuBour, A., Overduijn, K., Smith, M. M., ... &
Prugh, L. R. (2017). Socioeconomic Benefits of Large Carnivore Recolonization Through Reduced Wildlife‐Vehicle Collisions. Conservation Letters, 10(4), 431-439.
Gross, L. (2019, February 26). Master regulators: how mountain lions boost biodiversity.
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/master-regulators-how-mountain-lions-boost-biodiversity/
Nat Geo Wild. (2012, May 10). Becoming a hunter:Puma! Elusive hunter of the Andes [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR6yYpr3gt4
Predator Defense. (2020). Cougars at risk. http://www.predatordefense.org/cougars.htm
Telford, S. R. (2017). Deer reduction is a cornerstone of integrated deer tick management. Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 8(1).
Williams, J. (2018). Path of the puma: The remarkable resilience of the mountain lion.
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