Cougar Tracking

Puma Concolor

With the number of cougar ( Puma concolor ) sightings skyrocketing in recent years, the Cougar Project was initiated to attempt to find evidence of the presence of cougars in the state of Wisconsin . Our original design involved looking for physical evidence (tracks, scats, kills) in the snow during the winter months. Searches were restricted to areas of the state identified as "hot spots" based on number and quality of sightings. This approach was abandoned when it became clear that the chances of finding tracks of the elusive cougar, corresponding with favorable tracking conditions and our own schedules, was next to impossible.

Our new plan involves using a lure to attract cougars to a hair collection device ("hair snare"). The lure elicits a rubbing response from the cougar against the hair snares, which are designed to trap hair samples. The follicles of the hair contain adequate DNA samples to determine not only if it is a cougar, but also its sex and individual "signature". The advantage to this technique is that it allows dozens of "detectors" to be placed in the field simultaneously and left out for weeks at a time.

We are currently experimenting with captive cougars in the state to determine the most efficient and effective combination of lures, hair snare devices, and heights at which they are placed. After determining the best combination for the devices, 100+ hair snares will be placed in the field at the hotspots for cougar sightings. The field research is planned to take place during the summer/fall of 2005.