Wildfires are an increasing threat to pumas and the loss of their habitat, especially in California. Wildfires are a natural occurrence in Southern California and are crucial to the proliferation of certain plant and animal species; however, humans have increased the rate at which fires occur, causing significant changes in the environment (Goldman, 2019; Syphard et al., 2007; Syphard et al., 2009). The wildfire season in the western United States has grown from five months long to more than seven months long (Zielinski & Zachos, 2018). In Southern California, wildfires used to occur every 30 years which allowed native chaparral and other plants ample time to grow back before the next fire (TSDNHM Wildlife, 2019).
According to CalFire, as of October 5, 2020, 8,320 wildfires resulting in an estimated 4,040,935 acres burned in California alone so far in 2020 (CalFire Incident Archive, 2020). CalFire states that California’s fire seasons across the Sierra Mountain range has increased by 75 days (CalFire Incident Archive, 2020). CalFire claims that “this year's acres burned is 26 times higher than the acres burned in 2019 over the same time period” (CalFire Incident Archive, 2020). Currently there is believed to be around 20 wildfires, one of them being the Bobcat fire (CalFire Incidents Overview, 2020). As of October 5, 2020 the Bobcat fire was 115,758 acres with 88% of the fire being contained (CLAFD Bobcat Fire Status, 2020).
Recently a female puma was seen in the San Gabriel Mountains, in California. A concerned resident called the Cougar Conservancy and their conflict task force responded, confirmed it was a puma and realized she needed help (Domingo, 2020). It is believed the puma received her burned paws from the Bobcat fire (Domingo, 2020). The puma was taken to a local veterinarian and then transferred to the California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Investigations Lab in Sacramento (Domingo, 2020). The veterinarians have reported that the puma is responding positively to treatment and is a candidate for release (Domingo, 2020). They are using tilapia skins to soothe and treat her burned paws, along with other wildlife, like black bears (Domingo, 2020).
This is not the first time a puma has been directly impacted by a wildfire. In 2007, the Santiago fire claimed the life of one puma, while another was claimed in the Cedar fire in 2003 which burned 28,000 acres and 300,000 acres, respectively (Boyce, 2008).
In 2018, the Woolsey fire burned 100,000 acres (National Park Service, 2018). The Woosley fire burned in the Santa Monica Mountains and caused worry with biologists since it is estimated there are between five and ten puma individuals in that area (CBD & MLF, 2019; NPS Woolsey Fire, 2018). The fire tore through a large portion of occupied puma habitat, which could have resulted in a significant decline in the number of individuals in this area. This at-risk population is already experiencing high human-caused mortalities.
Image is of the puma rescued by the Cougar Conservancy, believed to be injured from the Bobcat fire.
The Cougar Conservancy focuses on reducing human-wildlife conflict and conserving puma populations through science-based management and conservation (Cougar Conservancy, 2020). They have a human-cougar conflict task force that conducts on-the-ground work to intervene, assist, and empower local communities through training and education both before and after a conflict occurs (Cougar Conservancy Our Programs, 2020). During task force activities, they conduct home walk visits with residents, and share best practices for living in puma habitat. Surprisingly, many pro tips for living with puma also align with CALFire’s wildlife readiness practices. Landscaping practices that prevent conflict— such as trimming vegetation above the ground, and keeping hedges and bushes away from your home— can be beneficial in not only reducing human-cougar conflicts but also during wildfire season. Remember that cougar is another name for puma.
They also work with multiple organizations and agencies to promote coexistence between humans and wildlife (Cougar Conservancy Our Programs, 2020). They focus on education and outreach to share current information about cougars with the community (Cougar Conservancy Our Programs, 2020). You can learn more about the Cougar Conservancy and their programs at www.CougarConservancy.org.
Literature Cited
Boyce, W. (2008). Tracks left in the ashes. Outdoor California, 26–29.
CalFire. (2020). 2020 Incident archive. https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/
CalFire. (2020). Incidents overview. https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents
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-west2.amazonaws.com/s3wagtail.biolgicaldiversity.org/documents/CESA_petition__Southern_California_Central_Coast_Mountain_Lions.pdf
Cougar Conservancy. (2020). Cougar conservancy. https://cougarconservancy.org/
Cougar Conservancy. (2020, October 5). Cougar rescued after being injured in wildfire near Los
Angeles [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D65sPTiAoU
Cougar Conservancy. (2020). Our programs. https://cougarconservancy.org/our-programs
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Domingo, K. (2020, September 22). Young female cougar [Photograph]. Flickr
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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/09/150914-animals-wildlife-wildfires -nation-california-science/
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