Cougar population status and range expansion in Alberta during 1991–2010

摘要: In Alberta, Canada, number of cougar (Puma concolor) mortalities caused by humans has increased rapidly over the past 2 decades. Management agencies sometimes use human-caused as an index population trend, which would indicate increasing in but may be decoupled from numbers. Some authors suggest that higher (primarily due to sport hunting) are causing populations North America decline. We used distribution Alberta evaluate change during 1991–2010, a period mortality rapidly. provide evidence cougars have expanded their range northern and eastern tandem with hunting other sources mortality. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.