Researching mountain lions

  • Published
  • By Dustin Akins
  • Kirtland AFB Natural Resources
Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. --  Beginning in late summer 2010, the Kirtland Air Force Base Natural Resource Program initiated a mountain lion project in the 22,000-acre Forest Service withdrawn area on the east side of the base. The project involves locating, capturing/snaring and placing GPS collars on the mountain lions. A special permit required for this research was obtained from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

Undeveloped regions of the base span to the south and east up into the Manzanita Mountains. In the past, there have been a few mountain lion sightings in areas far into the east side of base. The Natural Resources Program wanted to further explore the population of mountain lions on base, learning about their feeding habits, hunting patterns and the range the mountain lions use on the base area. Having a better understanding of how many mountain lions frequent the base will allow Kirtland AFB to better manage the mountain lion populations, as well as other species, that are determined to exist within the base boundaries.

Safely capturing mountain lions can be a difficult and tricky endeavor; therefore, a wildlife biology professor from Furman University in South Carolina, Dr. Travis Perry, leads a team of graduate and undergraduate biology students. Before capturing and collaring a mountain lion, the team needed to figure out where they are and what areas they move in. They started by using a network of existing nature cameras that have captured images of mountain lions around man-made watering areas.

Researchers used the areas known to be frequented by mountain lions as starting points, creating extensive networks of cameras to get a more specific representation of exactly where and how often mountain lions travel through particular areas of the base.

Once the biologists established the locations used by mountain lions, they begin to set the snare sites/locations. The big cats are caught using a foot snare that loops around the paw when triggered. When snared, mountain lions are quite compliant and do not struggle or resist much. While snared, the mountain lion is shot with a dart containing a tranquilizer.

Once the mountain lion becomes immobilized, the research team quickly gets to work, weighing, measuring, determining its age and sex, and attaching the GPS satellite collar. During this time, the lion's breathing, heart rate and temperature are closely monitored.

After all data has been collected and the collar has been attached, the lion is delivered another drug to reanimate, or wake the mountain lion from its sleep. The research team stands by after the cat is reanimated, to make sure that there are no ill effects from the darting and handling by the researchers.

With the mountain lion collared, location data is sent from the collar every two hours each evening for a 14-hour period. Data is relayed from a satellite to a server, where it can be viewed by the researchers and the natural resources program staff. The collars are equipped with a drop-off mechanism that is programmed to release the collar at a pre-determined date, usually before the collar battery dies. The collar can then be retrieved by the researchers and any data points that were not transmitted can be recovered and used in the study.

So far, four mountain lions have been snared and collared, with the latest being a young female.