Listening to Cougar is an anthology of essays about the mysterious and elusive cougar, also known as puma, mountain lion and panther, which once roamed the entire country, but now can be found in only 14 states, from the Rockies westward.
Cara Blessley Lowe, writer, photographer, and co-founder of the Cougar Fund partnered with cognitive ethologist and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, Marc Bekoff to edit the collection, the contributors of which include among others, journalists, poets, scientists, and hunters.
The common theme than runs throughout the diverse collection is one of awe that each author experiences upon encountering traces of the cougar, or many times, the cougar itself.
Some of the meetings are intentional as in the case of hunters and scientists, but most are by chance. The reactions of humans varies – from one of liberation and exhiliaration to terror, most humorously in the case of Marc Bekoff who “knows” how to behave when encountering a cougar, but reverts to instinct, running away while screaming, and who humbly admits that had he not been dehydrated from a three hour bike ride earlier that day, he would surely have “peed his pants”.
No matter what the situation, whether it be a chance observation of a lioness and her cubs, or the heartbreaking witnessing of a female cougar being shot out of a tree (an illegal but common practice due to the inability of humans to distinguish male from female cougars) each human was humbled and grateful to have been in the presence of this magnificent creature.
Jane Goodall’s forward and Cara Blessley Lowe’s introduction outline the history and struggle of the cougar and the challenges it faces for survival in the politcal and conservation arenas. As Jane Goodall notes, the cougar’s survival “depends on our tolerance of it living among us.” Education about cougars (and other wildlife) is greatly needed.
Statistics show that the number of humans who die annually of bee stings (20) is equal to the number killed by cougars in since 1900.
This book is a testament of the respect a wide range of concerned humans holds for wild animals and a call to action for those who can help save the cougar from extinction.
Thanks for the book recommendation – I’ve added it to my wish list. Here is an article which I first published in 2005 and just today republished on my blog about MY encounters with this graceful animal.