A Tale of Two Cats: Conservation

Imagine a world where the Amazon rainforest is completely cleared for timber. A world where most of the polar ice has melted and the Great Barrier Reef is bleached. A world where tigers, pandas, and gorillas can only be found in zoos and the last blue whales were killed for blubber. A desolate world. A hellacious place no one would want to live.

Certainly, no business leader, politician, or public figure would ever want our beautiful planet to end up in ruins. However, forests do not disappear from a single axe blow and species are not killed by a lone bullet. Instead, our environments are reshaped by countless small actions that accumulate over time. 

Unfortunately, on the micro scale, humans are often poor decision makers when it comes to long term results. We are inherently biased toward short term gratification, and as a result, leave the repercussions of our actions for a future society. In the context of our relationship with the natural world, this principle has mostly manifested itself through systematic neglect and abuse of wild environments, animals, and the greater global ecosystem. 

Primary forest area cleared for agriculture in Indonesia.. Source: Kaltimber

As recently as the start of the twentieth century, little attention was given to the lasting impacts people could have on the world. The expansiveness of our planet and raw power of nature created the perception that Earth was undamageable by mere humans. It took many years before we began to understand the extent to which this idea was false. Humanity had already started to suffer the burdens associated with our overuse of Earth’s resources. 

Despite the fear of increasing natural disasters and disease, these factors are not always a compelling enough deterrent to encourage widespread responsible treatment of our environment. This is where the role of conservation comes in as a vital defender of the natural world.

Wildlife Conservation

Conservation is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the protection of the natural environment.” However, a more nuanced interpretation was famously given by the father of wildlife ecology, Aldo Leopold, when he wrote, “Conservation is a state of harmony between men [sic] and land.” Leopold’s definition introduces the important idea of harmony, a concept that implies a sense of balance rather than one-sided protection. When talking about big cat conservation in particular, this perspective is essential. After all, “protecting” animals that have historically killed your own species certainly highlights a complicated power dynamic between humans and cats. 

As a part of the series comparing cougars and tigers, I have dedicated the following sections of this piece to discussing conservation practices and sentiments surrounding these cats.

Tigers

Tigers are widely regarded as the most famous endangered species in the world. They are the only one of the major seven big cat species to be listed as globally endangered and largely fit the stereotypical archetype for endangered species conservation. The hunting of tigers is strictly prohibited across all thirteen tiger countries and the trade of tiger products has been banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since 1975. 

The results of tiger conservation have been varied across their native habitat. Beginning in 1972, after India conducted the first modern tiger survey, governments and NGOs across Asia have mobilized to save the world’s largest cat. Since then, some countries have stood out as clear leaders, making tiger conservation a priority, while others have favored industrial development over species preservation. 

India and Nepal are consistently touted as two of the most successful examples of tiger conservation. Perhaps their most notable accomplishment in this field was the doubling of their national tiger populations since 2010. There is some controversy over how much of the increases are a result of better tiger census strategies, however the overall trend in domestic populations is clear. 

One of the reasons India and Nepal have demonstrated such success is their commitment to creating and implementing innovative conservation tactics. For example, in India several of the state forestry departments have created canine task forces designed to mitigate poaching and detect illicit wildlife trade products. These teams utilize specially trained Belgian Malinois to track down poachers in the jungle, sniff out tiger products at shipping ports, and generally assist the park rangers on their anti-poaching initiatives. I had the pleasure of visiting the primary training facility for these canine units in Central India and saw first-hand the impressive resources that had been dedicated to this project. Just a few years after the project launched, the efforts have already proven incredibly useful, with each adult dog stopping as many as 20 attempted tiger kills per year. 

A photo I took of a Belgian Malinois training to join an Indian anti-poaching canine unit. Source: Mike McGovern

On the technological side of conservation, India and Nepal lead the group again. As an example, both countries have rolled out programs which install solar powered LED lights that deter tigers from villages. The lights are specially designed to radiate a variety of patterns and colors in a non-repetitive series which has been shown to keep big cats away from agricultural and populated areas. This has helped protect villagers and tigers, as both groups pose a threat to each other in instances of human-wildlife conflict. 

The list of successful conservation practices employed by India and Nepal goes on. Both countries have used drones to monitor forested areas for poaching and illegal logging. They have also stayed committed to more traditional forms of conservation, such as establishing protected areas where tigers can live without human interference. Finally, both countries have built up profitable ecotourism industries around tiger safaris that have helped incentivize locals to protect the cats and generated income to funnel back into conservation projects.

Unfortunately for the greater tiger species, not all countries have been so effective in protecting this apex predator. In particular, most of Southeast Asia has struggled to maintain stable tiger populations amidst rapid deforestation and frequent poaching. 

One island that has gained particular attention globally as an example of inadequate wildlife conservation is Sumatra. On this Indonesian island, local megafauna including tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, and orangutan, have seen a dramatic decrease in population over the past several decades. These negative trends are a direct result of habitat loss and illegal hunting, both of which the centralized and regional governments are working to prevent. 

Spending time in Indonesia speaking with government officials and leaders in the main agricultural industries of Sumatra helps to add clarity to the issue with their current conservation efforts - local enforcement and community support are the primary culprits for the tempered conservation success on the island.

A park ranger holds up a recently disassembled poaching snare in Sumatra. Source: Rainforest Rescue

The issue of implementing conservation work on the ground level is not a problem unique to Sumatra. In fact, this issue is widely recognized as the largest barrier to successful tiger conservation in many countries. The dilemma simplifies down to a disconnect between federal and local goals. Going back to the Indonesian example, the federal government passed a permanent moratorium on permits needed to clear forested areas in 2019, which was a modification of the original temporary ban first signed into law in 2011. This law, if enforced properly, would adequately protect the endangered species habitat and forbid deforestation of primary forest. However, in my conversations with officials from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, I learned that these national laws have little bearing on the behavior of villagers living in remote areas of the Sumatran jungles. Small scale farmers would almost never seek the proper permitting to cut down primary forest bordering their land, regardless of the difficulty of securing such paperwork.

While there is no clear-cut solution to dealing with this issue of enforcement, Indonesia and their fellow Southeast Asian countries are developing new programs aimed at addressing this crisis. Dedicated task forces set out to mitigate grassroots corruption and financial incentive programs to garner community support are just two examples of the new initiatives rolling out in Sumatra to tackle this issue.

If you would like to learn more about Sumatra, check out our article covering that and more about Indonesia’s famous island.

Tiger conservation as a whole paints a picture of wildlife protection that is more or less in line with traditional perceptions of conservation. With a beloved species on the brink of extinction, international organizations join forces with local governments to fight for the future of these cats. With this idyllic example of conservation in mind, let's move on to the big cat with one of the most unique and layered relationships with “conservation.”

Cougars

Cougar conservation or cougar management? What might seem like a small choice of wording, is actually a deeper reflection of the conversation surrounding cougars for decades. After spending months reading cougar literature and speaking with stakeholders around the cougar community, this distinction between management and conservation emerged as a simple dichotomy that helped me wrap my head around the complicated world of maintaining cougar populations. 

A Florida cougar captured on a trail camera. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

To begin with, cougars’ relationship with conservation is nowhere near as straightforward as that experienced by tigers. The primary reason for this is that cougars are not recognized as a globally endangered species. While history has shown cougars certainly require some level of organized protection, the lack of an “endangered” title (outside of Florida) complicates the government’s role in doing so. One of the main factors determining how a specific species is managed in the United States is dependent on their U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classification, as this impacts whether or not an animal is protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If a species is not protected under this powerful federal legislation, then it is up to the respective states to take care of their local populations.

If you would like to learn more about the legal protections afforded to tigers and cougars, check out our article covering this subject.

Cougars are an interesting case study of the different benefits afforded to species that are and are not protected by the Endangered Species Act. This is because the two North American cougar subspecies hold different conservation statuses. The Floridian cougar is regarded as one of the most endangered subspecies of big cats in the world. With an estimated population of just above 200, these cats are offered every form of protection possible under the Endangered Species Act. In South Florida, the conservation practices are similar to those used with tigers in Asia. Hunting is strictly forbidden, their habitat is mostly protected from development, and local conservation biologists closely monitor the population. 

While this may indicate a more traditional conservation experience for cougars, the Floridian subspecies makes up less than 1% of the total North American cougar population. The remainder of the cougars in the United States live West of the Mississippi, and experience a wide variety of local treatment by state governments.

It is in the Western United States, where the line between conservation and management becomes a point of discussion. However, to avoid re-addressing the topic of legal protections covered in the article linked above, I will focus on the conservation and management tactics employed across the western United States.

California stands at the forefront of the West Coast when it comes to cougar conservation strategy. As the only state to classify the North American cougar as specially protected, California does not allow cougar hunting, and instead channels resources towards protecting the cat. One of their conservation efforts has involved placing tracking collars on cougars, especially those near urban areas. The famous photograph of a male cougar named P-22 in front of the Hollywood sign clearly shows the tracking device around his neck. The data from these devices helps state officials to determine the habits and movements of these cats, which is ultimately used to better protect the species.

Steve Winter’s famous photo of P-22 in front of the Hollywood Sign. Source: National Geographic

Perhaps the most well known application of cougar behavioral data is the upcoming Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing near Los Angeles. The $87 million land bridge is set to break ground in the fall of 2021 and will allow for the safe passage of mountain lions across the Ventura Freeway. This section of highway has recorded several accidents where cougars were killed by vehicles and after state wildlife officials surveyed the region for suitable mountain lion habitat, Liberty Canyon was selected as the best location. This land bridge will be one of the most expensive wildlife infrastructure projects in the world and will serve as a testament to California’s commitment to protecting cougars. 

A digital rendering of the proposed Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing. Source: Los Angeles Times

Outside of California, all the other states with cougar populations except Texas, have some form of mountain lion management. The primary reason for a distinction between conservation and management is the classification of cougars as game animals. This classification means each U.S. state with breeding cougar populations (other than Florida and California) allow for some type of mountain lion hunting. 

To a staunch conservationist, the facilitation of trophy hunting might represent the antithesis of protecting any given species. Certainly, in the context of endangered species, hunting is a completely unacceptable practice and the opposite of responsible conservation. While I have my own personal beliefs regarding hunting for sport, many of the experts I spoke with on cougar management emphasized the importance of game hunting as a tool for protecting the species. 

Hunting in the United States is governed by state departments dedicated to managing local fish and wildlife. In many circumstances, these organizations often act as the closest institution to a state conservation agency, and employ several conservation biologists that monitor state wildlife populations. While hunting as a conservation technique may not work for all species, the tactic has allowed for cougar populations in most Western states to remain relatively constant over the past decade. It is important to note that significant thought is put into the oversight of these hunting programs. The specific dates of hunting season, number of permits per year, and other factors are all considered alongside the cougar population data.

A Future for Big Cats

There is an extensive variety of approaches to the management and conservation of big cats across the world. From military-grade anti-poaching units to state facilitated hunting seasons, there is no single method to protect these magnificent predator species. Ultimately, despite the differences in methodology, the leaders in big cat conservation and management around the globe share a similar goal of maintaining these species for future generations to enjoy.