According to a recent study published by ‘Mammal Review’, pumas are “important brokers of energy and nutrients throughout ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere,”. This means that protecting and restoring the specie will aid biodiversity and environmental health throughout the Americas. Now, more than ever, puma conservation is growing increasingly important. There has always been a movement to protect the puma, but with this recent study, we can really understand the benefits the animal has on the ecosystem.
The Puma concolor is the mammal with the most names, it is also known as cougar, mountain lion, red tiger, and catamount. This beautiful species is the fourth-largest cat in the Felidae family weighing anywhere between 29-100 kg and standing between 60-90 cm.
They cover the largest territory of all terrestrial mammals in the western hemisphere, ranging from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America. They are solitary, nocturnal, ambush predators, and generally avoid humans.
But why is protecting pumas important for us?
Pumas generate an ecosystem for the rest of their surroundings. Meaning everything ranging from birds and mammals to insects and other invertebrates all profit from the free meals provided by the Pumas leftovers. Without pumas, we fail to provide food to this huge ecosystem of animals.
The kills of mountain lions are a critical resource, not just for scavenging mammals and birdlife, or even the invertebrates that take up residence in them, but for the plant life that anchors the ecosystem.
What are the biggest threats to pumas?
Habitat loss and overhunting are the most pressing threats to puma populations. Roads and other human encroachments on the natural world break up and isolate existing groups, also contributing to falling numbers and failing health. Other main threats to the species have been a loss of prey and habitat and intentional persecution.
However, along with threats, there are always efforts to protect the puma going on throughout the world. One, in particular, being the ‘puma tourism’ industry. The journal Biological Conservation stated that predator tourism appeared to be central to changing attitudes and improving tolerance for pumas, specifically in Patagonia where puma hunting has been encouraged due to pumas hunting livestock. In Brazil, there are also several protected areas across the country that ensure Pumas and other big cats are kept safe from hunters.
It is estimated that less than 50,000 mature breeding mountain lions remain globally, and of this, only 100-200 florida panthers remain in the wild.
What can you do to help? Mariri Wildlife Sanctuary is keeping pumas in Brazil protected by building and offering a release point for the beautiful species of animal. It is by your donations and adoptions that this is possible and we can continue to save the puma.
Any donation, big or small, is welcomed, and we appreciate every single one of you that continues to help protect the puma.
Donate here: https://www.maririwildlifesanctuary.com/colabore?lang=en
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