Summary
Ecologists fear that the species is in jeopardy if the big cats can't make it to reproductive age. Three deaths in as many weeks highlighting how difficult it is for the big cats to survive in an urban national park. Three young mountain lions were found found dead in the the Santa Monica Mountains over the past few weeks, according to the press on Friday from the National Park Service. A young female called P-34, was found dead on Sept. 30; minor wounds were found, likely from a fight with another cougar but it appears that ingesting rat poison was the cause of her death. Study in 2012 from the NPS found that 11 out of 12 mountain lions tested positive for exposure to rat poison, with two dying as a result. The majority of other animals such as coyotes and bobcats tested were also infected. Why is rat poison being used in a national park? Well it likely worked it way up the food chain. When rodents consume the poison set out by humans, they don't die right away. They're often slowed down which makes them an easy prey for the larger animals. Those large animals then also become sick or die, when poison doesn't directly kill the mountain lions they become more susceptible to diseases such as mange. Poison isn't the only problem, the Pacific Ocean and roadways have left the big cats boxed into the Santa Monica Mountains this results to in heightened intraspecies conflicts. The NPS, last mouth found two dead three-month-old kittens, P-43 and a previously unknown sibling were killed by another animal (maybe a mountain lion). P-34's sibling P-32 was killed in August after traversing four freeways to get out of the Santa Monica Mountains in order to develop a range free from other male cats. Seth Riley, a wildlife ecologist for the NPS, said "From our roads to rat poisons to potentially increased interactions with other mountains lions, it is very difficult for young animals to make it to adulthood, establish their own home range and reproduce."
Ecologists fear that the species is in jeopardy if the big cats can't make it to reproductive age. Three deaths in as many weeks highlighting how difficult it is for the big cats to survive in an urban national park. Three young mountain lions were found found dead in the the Santa Monica Mountains over the past few weeks, according to the press on Friday from the National Park Service. A young female called P-34, was found dead on Sept. 30; minor wounds were found, likely from a fight with another cougar but it appears that ingesting rat poison was the cause of her death. Study in 2012 from the NPS found that 11 out of 12 mountain lions tested positive for exposure to rat poison, with two dying as a result. The majority of other animals such as coyotes and bobcats tested were also infected. Why is rat poison being used in a national park? Well it likely worked it way up the food chain. When rodents consume the poison set out by humans, they don't die right away. They're often slowed down which makes them an easy prey for the larger animals. Those large animals then also become sick or die, when poison doesn't directly kill the mountain lions they become more susceptible to diseases such as mange. Poison isn't the only problem, the Pacific Ocean and roadways have left the big cats boxed into the Santa Monica Mountains this results to in heightened intraspecies conflicts. The NPS, last mouth found two dead three-month-old kittens, P-43 and a previously unknown sibling were killed by another animal (maybe a mountain lion). P-34's sibling P-32 was killed in August after traversing four freeways to get out of the Santa Monica Mountains in order to develop a range free from other male cats. Seth Riley, a wildlife ecologist for the NPS, said "From our roads to rat poisons to potentially increased interactions with other mountains lions, it is very difficult for young animals to make it to adulthood, establish their own home range and reproduce."
Reflection
After reading this article it is very cruel what humans are doing to top predator animals like the mountain lions. Mountain lions are very important because they're essential to maintaining the ecosystem. As top predators they fast on herbivores and thereby indirectly influence vegetation growth. Mountain lions maintain a balanced ecosystem in California by eating coyotes. Rat poison shouldn't be used at the park to control pests since they're killing the animals besides the rats. Humans need to be more careful with what they use especially when using certain chemicals that are created to kill a main species. Mountain lions and as well as other animals need to be free and be able to live long enough to reproduce. If mountain lions were to become extinct the ecosystem will of course be unbalanced and more man made chemicals would be used in order to keep everything in check. When we think that a certain species isn't important, it usually plays a huge role in the ecosystem just like the story of the bees and the coyotes.
After reading this article it is very cruel what humans are doing to top predator animals like the mountain lions. Mountain lions are very important because they're essential to maintaining the ecosystem. As top predators they fast on herbivores and thereby indirectly influence vegetation growth. Mountain lions maintain a balanced ecosystem in California by eating coyotes. Rat poison shouldn't be used at the park to control pests since they're killing the animals besides the rats. Humans need to be more careful with what they use especially when using certain chemicals that are created to kill a main species. Mountain lions and as well as other animals need to be free and be able to live long enough to reproduce. If mountain lions were to become extinct the ecosystem will of course be unbalanced and more man made chemicals would be used in order to keep everything in check. When we think that a certain species isn't important, it usually plays a huge role in the ecosystem just like the story of the bees and the coyotes.