Mountain lions squeezed: Scientists fear they're losing habitat in Tucson Mountains
Tobin M. 2003. Mountain lions squeezed: Scientists fear they're losing habitat in Tucson Mountains. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. 15 Feb 2003. 2 pages
Volunteers from around the country searched for mountain lion (also called cougar, puma, panther) scat and pawprints to determine the presence of the animal in the Tucson Mountains west of Tucson. If the area becomes an island of wilderness surrounded by urban and suburban development, lions could disappear from the area as did desert bighorn sheep. Even if preserves such as Saguaro National Park are protected, mountain lions could disappear if their routes to other mountain ranges are cut off by human development. If only a few mountain lions remain, the DNA pool would shrink to a place of susceptibilities inherent to inbreeding. Radio collars, wildlife cameras, "hair snares" and GPS (Global Positioning System) technologies are employed in the studies.
- Type
- Newspaper Article
- Authors
- Tobin, Mitch
- Date of Issue
- 2003-02-15
- Publisher
- John M Humenik
- Units
- SAGU
- Keywords
- cougar, habitat, mountain lion, panther, Pima County Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, puma
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Desert Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Point-Source Human Effects | Point-Source Human Effects , NPS.gov Subject Site: At-Risk Species , NPS.gov Subject Site: Biodiversity , NPS.gov Subject Site: Citizen Science , NPS.gov Subject Site: Conservation Movement , NPS.gov Subject Site: Deserts , NPS.gov Subject Site: Mammals , NPS.gov Subject Site: Urban Parks and Programs