In this episode, Dr. Mark Elbroch joins us to discuss:
-his background
-how he became interested in nature
-the professional work he has done
-what he has learned in studying Mountain Lions
-the nature of Mountain Lions (aka Cougar, Puma, Panther)
-what you can do do protect yourself from predators -- in the extremely rare even you encounter one
-Kyle Burgess, "The Cougar Guy," and his Mountain Lion encounter that went viral
-myths, fictions, truths, and facts about Mountain Lions

About Mark: "Mark Elbroch serves as the Director for Panthera's Puma Program, for which he designs conservation research for mountain lions in North and South America. He has contributed to mountain lion research and conservation in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, California, Mexico, Chile, and now in Washington and Argentina. His research is contributing radical changes to what we thought we knew about mountain lions, especially with regards to their social lives and their keystone roles in ecosystems. His work has been covered by the BBC, NatGeo Wild, New York Times, National Public Radio, the Washington Post, among others. He received a 2011 Robert and Patricia Switzer Fellowship for his past and potential environmental leadership, and was the recipient of the prestigious Craighead Conservation Award in 2016, an award honoring individuals whose work has achieved 'lasting conservation outcomes.'

"Mark was awarded a Senior Tracker Certificate by CyberTracker Conservation in Kruger National Park, South Africa in 2005, after successfully following lions across varied terrain. He was the 17th person to receive one and the first non-African. He is the Initial Evaluator for CyberTracker Tracker Evaluations in North America (http://trackercertification.com/), where they have been used to test observer reliability in wildlife research and as an educational tool by nonprofit organizations. Mark received an honorary Master Tracker Certificate in 2015 for significant contributions to the conservation of tracking knowledge and the trackers themselves. He has authored/coauthored 11 books on natural history, including The Cougar Conundrum: Sharing the world with a successful predator. More can be found at https://markelbroch.com/."


Contact Michael:
1. ccerppodcast@aol.com
2. http://www.goldams.com
3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/
4. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/

Join us at CCERP on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/


Show notes
1. About Dr. Mark Elbroch
a. https://www.panthera.org/people/mark-elbroch-phd
b. https://markelbroch.com/about-mark-elbroch/

2. Work of Dr. Mark Elbroch
a. https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Elbroch/e/B001ILHI96/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
b. https://markelbroch.com/books/
c. https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/tag/mark-elbroch/
d. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/L_Mark_Elbroch
e. https://markelbroch.com/about-mark-elbroch/in-the-media/
f. https://markelbroch.com/blog/

3. "Mark Elbroch | Big Cat Biologist" by National Geographic Education:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSVgj1Ou_DA

4. The Cougar Conundrum: Sharing the World with a Successful Predator by Mark Elbroch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DMNLC7S/

5. "Coexisting with Cougars: An Interview with Mark Elbroch" by Dylan Forest
https://animalpeopleforum.org/2020/10/15/coexisting-with-cougars-an-interview-with-mark-elbroch/

6. Panthera: https://www.panthera.org
"Panthera is the only organization in the world that is devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world’s 40 wild cat species and their ecosystems. Utilizing the expertise of the world’s premier cat biologists, Panthera develops and implements global strategies for the most imperiled large cats: tigers, lions, jaguars, snow leopards, cheetahs, pumas, and leopards. Representing the most comprehensive effort of its kind, Panthera partners with local and international NGOs, scientific institutions, local communities, governments around the globe, and citizens who want to help ensure a future for wild cats. Panthera’s grants program, the Small Cat Action Fund (SCAF), additionally supports conservation and research initiatives on many of the smaller wild cat species around the globe."

7. Deaths by Various Causes
a. List of countries by traffic-related death rate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate
b. List of fatal cougar attacks in North America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America
c. List of fatal bear attacks in North America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America
d. List of wolf attacks in North America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wolf_attacks_in_North_America
e. Coyote attack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote_attack
f. List of fatal dog attacks in the United States (2010s)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States_(2010s)
g. List of fatal dog attacks in the United States (2000s)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States_(2000s)
h. List of fatal dog attacks in the United States (2020s)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
i. List of fatal dog attacks in the United States (before 2000)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States

8. Some non-fatal injury stats
a. The top 20 injuries seen in USA EDs from 2005 through 2013 using the NEISS AIP data.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6431755/
b. In "The demographics of dog bites in the United States," Randall T. Loder writes: "Human dog bite injuries from 'man's best friend' are a significant public health issue and are in the top 15 causes of non-fatal injuries." (And these are only the reported cases.). Most bites are in the face, then arms/hands/fingers, then legs. And, when grouped by age, 70-95% of dog bites occur in the home. Read more: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6431755/
c. "Each day about 1,000 U.S. citizens require emergency care treatment for serious dog bite injuries. Annually, about 14,025 citizens are hospitalized due to dog bite injuries." Read more: https://www.dogsbite.org/

9. "What we don't understand, we fear. What we fear, we hate. What we hate, see seek to destroy." --Tom Brown (or so I am told)

10. "People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer.” --Andrew Smith

11. “We destroy because we hate
We hate because we fear
We fear because we don’t understand
We don’t understand because we won’t learn
Illuminate your mind and educate yourself!”
―credited to Ja’son White

12. Kyle Burgess and the Mountain Lion
a. Original video
i. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pg2CDCm34w
ii. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xu3FBGQ2Eo
iii. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ktRhBcHza4
b. Griff's interview of Kyle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grmIkU6Et4A
c. Griff talking about Mountain Lions and Kyle's incident: https://www.facebook.com/NorthCoastRedwoods/videos/347371733000314
d. "Cougar Experts Weigh In On That Viral Video" by Sara Tabin
https://www.forbes.com/sites/saratabin/2020/10/15/cougar-experts-weigh-in-on-that-viral-video/
e. " ‘I don’t feel like dying today’: Utahn describes how he survived 6-minute cougar encounter" by Katie McKellar: https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/10/12/21513450/utah-cougar-mountain-lion-encounter-viral-provo-slate-canyon-attack-stalk-survive

13. Kyle Burgess's "I Am the Cougar Guy" website: https://www.iamthecougarguy.com

14. Cougar Conservancy: https://cougarconservancy.org/

15. Mountain Lion Foundation: https://mountainlion.org/

16. The importance of predators (a bit to get some idea about it and start looking into it)
a. "The Crucial Role of Predators: A New Perspective on Ecology" by Caroline Fraser
https://e360.yale.edu/features/the_crucial_role_of_predators_a_new_perspective_on_ecology
b. "The Ecological Importance of Predators"
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/predatorimportance.pdf
c. "The Importance of Predators"
https://www.predatordefense.org/predators.htm
d. "Top Predators Key to Ecosystem Survival, Study Shows" by Bjorn Carey
https://www.livescience.com/4171-top-predators-key-ecosystem-survival-study-shows.html

17. Keystone species
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGg5it5FMI
b. "Robert Paine, UW ecologist who identified ‘keystone species,’ dies at 83:" https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/robert-paine-uw-ecologist-who-identified-keystone-species-dies-at-83/
c. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_T._Paine_(zoologist)
d. "The Ecologist Who Threw Starfish" by Sean Carroll: http://nautil.us/issue/34/adaptation/the-ecologist-who-threw-starfish

18. Copperheads as ambush predators
a. http://reptileknowledge.com/squamata/copperhead.php
b. https://www.livescience.com/43641-copperhead-snake.html
c. "Bioenergetic and ecological correlates of foraging mode in copperheads, Agkistrodon contortrix, and timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) in Northwest Arkansas" by Chad Edward Montgomery, University of Arkansas, May 2005
https://search.proquest.com/openview/b9206fb341a1940567aa97e92d2ec2d7/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

19. To learn more about Coyotes, read the book Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History by Dan Flores
https://www.amazon.com/Coyote-America-Natural-Supernatural-History/dp/0465093728/

20. The concept of "fission-fusion"
a. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission–fusion_society
b. "Social Structure" by Dennis O'Neil: https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/behavior/behave_2.htm
c. "Fission-fusion society:" https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Fission-fusion_society




Picture and bio courtesy of Dr. Mark Elbroch.