Single Puma Threatens Entire Big Horn Sheep Population
One mountain lion in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona is single-handedly hunting the refuge’s endangered big horn sheep population to extinction.
The puma has already culled at least 15 sheep since last February, a remarkable pace which, if continued, would total 37 deaths by the end of the year. By comparison, the estimated annual yearling recruitment from the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge bighorn sheep herd is only 39 animals.
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The radio-collared lion has been extremely efficient, killing one sheep on average every 10 days. While there are a few other mountain lions which also patrol the area, the individual culprit of these hunts is particularly voracious in its appetite for big horn sheep. Its prowess is impressive because big horn sheep can be formidable prey. The sheep’s horns can weigh up to 30 pounds and make up as much as 10% of the animal’s total body weight. But apparently that’s no problem for this puma.
“Once a localized wildlife population has zero recruitment or less, meaning it’s not replacing lost animals from standard mortalities, it’s just a matter of time before that population is extirpated.” said Game and Fish Wildlife Specialist John Hervert. In other words, it’s possible that this one lion could bag the entire big horn sheep population.
While there is good reason to be concerned for the sheep population due to the hunting mojo of this puma, it is important to point out that natural predation is not to blame for the population’s historical collapse. That blame falls squarely on the laps of human hunters. Two hundred years ago big horn sheep likely numbered in millions across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, but by 1900 those numbers dwindled to only a few thousand due to hunting, habitat loss and competition with domesticated sheep.
In other words, it is people who ultimately created the context wherein the puma is blamed for simply doing what it needs to do to survive. If big horn sheep populations were already at healthy, sustainable levels, this cat’s killings would hardly be a concern. It’s unfortunately convenient to blame a puma for the problem when the gravest danger to big horn sheep has always been human encroachment.
Source: Wildlife Extra
Image Credit: Tambako the Jaguar (not much online) on Flickr under a CC License
Thanks for pointing out the bigger picture in this scenario. Addressing only predation by mountain lions is oversimplifying the problem. They’re effectively making the lion the scapegoat in an anthropologically-created arena. Taking aim at them is a great way to divert our attention away from our own faults, rather than own up to them…