“The Santa Cruz Mountains are almost like an island,” Bryan Largay, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County’s Conservation Director, explains. “And islands are where extinctions happen.” But there is hope being generated in places like Rocks Ranch.
Mountain lions are some of the most iconic animals in the western hemisphere. But while we make plenty of room for them in our cultural imagery, we don’t always consider them when planning our landscapes. Mountain lions, or pumas, are rather shy apex predators that require a lot of space.
Biology and age-old instinct make hounds the perfect tool to help researchers capture elusive mountain lions. But the practice has come under pressure since the 2012 ban on hunting with dogs.
The instinct to roam is key to the mountain lion's evolutionary success. Conservationists hope a wildlife crossing under Highway 17 will make the journey less deadly for the pumas of the Santa Cruz Mountains.