After a 2018 wildfire razed large parts of the woods near Los Angeles, the mountain lions that live there have been tracked taking more risks – crossing roads more often, travelling longer distances and being active during the day.
After a 2018 wildfire razed areas of the woods where they live near Los Angeles, mountain lions crossed major roads more oftenAfter a 2018 wildfire, mountain lions near Los Angeles, California, were more likely to cross roads, travel further and be active during the daytime – when encounters with people are most likely. The shift to bolder behaviour concerns researchers, who note increasing wildfires may jeopardise the urban cats’ future.
“This [mountain lion] population is really special, not just because it’s very much beloved of the people… but because it’s a population that’s very much at risk,” saysThis unique group of cats has been studied for two decades and many of the animals are continually tracked with GPS and activity monitor collars. After the 2018
scorched more than 400 square kilometres of land – roughly half of the cats’ habitat – researchers compared movement data from 17 mountain lions before and after the blaze.They found significant differences in the mountain lions’ behaviour after the fire. In the 15 months following the blaze, the cats’ average number of road crossings jumped from three to five per month, and their monthly distance travelled increased from 250 kilometres to 390 kilometres.
“The size and location of this fire really lent itself to asking some of those bigger questions about the interaction of fire and urbanisation,” says at San Diego State University in California, who was not involved in the work. “It’s nice to have that confirmation and understanding of what’s happening, so we can better take action on it.”
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