IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Thompson, D.J.; Jenks, J.A. | |
| Spirits in the Hills: The Black Hill Cougar | |
| 2007 Wild Cat News: 1-4 | |
The cougar population of the Black Hills provides a striking example of the adaptability and resilience of the species. Through direct bounty and unregulated hunting, along with changes in prey availability, the cougar population was nearly, if not entirely, extirpated from the Black Hills by the early 1900s. Sporadic sightings of the cryptic stalker occurred in the Hills through most of the 1900s. Towards the end of 20th century, the world of cougar population dynamics in the Black Hills crescendoed to an electrifying tempo. Rare sightings changed to repeated sightings, doubts of their presence shifted to confirmation of presence, leading the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks to monitor all cougar sightings and reports by 1985. Because it was evident that a viable cougar population existed in the Black Hills, more questions arose, leading to the first intensive research on the population in 1998. Knowingly having a large carnivore in an area also readily inhabited by people gives way to many stakeholders with many different opinions and questions. Answering some of these questions with reliable knowledge is the cornerstone of proper scientific research and management. |
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