Path of the Puma The Remarkable Resilience of the Mountain Lion [Hardcover]

During a time when most wild animals are experiencing decline in the face of development and climate change, the intrepid mountain lion -- also known as a puma, a cougar, and by many other names  has experienced reinvigoration as well as expansion of territory. What makes this cat, the fourth carnivore in the food chain -- just ahead of humans  so resilient and resourceful? And what can conservationists and wild life managers learn from them about the web of biodiversity that is in desperate need of protection? Their story is fascinating for the lessons it can afford the protection of all species in times of dire challenge and decline. ...the main purpose of Path of the Puma, according to Williams, is to 'inspire people about wild things and wild places.' To that end, the book is an absolute page-turning success. Peppered with gorgeous wildlife photography, the book is equal parts high-stakes adventure story, personal memoir, and, of course, mountain lions. . . . Like the big cats at the heart of it,Path of the Pumais a truly exceptional and important creation. --Santa Barbara IndependentTheres a success story to be told, but its one with a mixed outcome, he notes. Americas vast public lands, and Patagonias newly conserved parks, are a bulwark against the crush of humanity, writes Williams. But the trajectorydespite the recent success and expansion of Puma concolor is toward more people and less wild nature. Predators will continue to prey on livestock. Ungulates will continue to compete for grass. Mountain lions will continue to prey on pets. Subdivisions will continue to consume habitat. Hunters will continue to compete with carnivores. Game managers will continue to be pressured by hunters. -- National Parks TravelerForewordDuring the 1980s, wolves trotted south from Canada into neighboring Glacier National Park in Montana and became the first to survive in the US West for half a century. The little colony grew, split, and grew some molób