Driver captures stunning video of wild predator bounding across roadway: ‘Beautiful’
Residents and visitors familiar with Alberta, Canada, can share their stories of witnessing wildlife. From bears to elk to elk to beavers, there are thriving populations in the state.
One of the most exciting animals in the area? Mountain lion, also known as puma. But what if someone appears right in front of you?
What’s going on?
resident of Alberta Tina Hayes (@outwestbannockbites) shared a post video documenting her husband’s latest trip.
“My husband was driving down the back road with his Hunter and they spotted this beautiful cougar. Walking distance from our house!” Hayes wrote.
Commenters were eager to share their own experiences with cougars.
“It will hurt the deer population. There are only one or two deer in the area we hunt and it’s noticeable how few deer there are,” one viewer wrote.
“They are much more common than you think,” another shared.
Why is this important?
Accordingly Government of Alberta, Pumas generally live in forested, rocky areas rather than flat, open lands. While they occasionally pass through river valleys and other corridors, they are likely to experience habitat loss if they are located in flatter and more populated areas.
Habitat loss can be caused by a number of factors, including development projects that often encroach on wild areas. Construction can decimate ecosystems, affect animals’ food sources, and disrupt their behavior.
Exacerbated by human-caused changes in weather patterns, wildlife seeking food and water sometimes wander into nearby communities, increasing the chances of human-wildlife encounters.
Experienced from afar, such encounters can be a worrying sign of habitat destruction, but also can evoke fascination in human witnesses. On closer inspection, these encounters can mean danger to both animals and humans; This includes increasing the risk of car crashes when animals cross roads, as is the case in Alberta.
Entering new territories can also be destructive and dangerous to other species. As one commenter noted, ecosystem imbalance can have an impact on deer populations. Ultimately, this can have knock-on effects on the plant life that deer typically consume.
What is being done?
The Alberta government has taken action to increase cougar hunting. accordingly In a report by Narwhal in June, conservation expert Ruiping Luo was quoted as saying that hunting quota changes “are not based on science and there are other intervening factors such as economics.”
Wildlife experts generally recommend that human-wildlife encounters be addressed through land conservation, habitat rehabilitation, relocating animals to safer locations, and prioritizing trail cameras to monitor animal populations and keep people safe.
Meanwhile, if you encounter a cougar in the wild, authorities recommend steps that include backing up, not running away, never turning around, and being prepared to fight back using bear spray and anything else you have on hand.
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