This summer the Teton Cougar Project's non-invasive monitoring program is in full swing. With the help of our volunteers, we've set up a grid of remote cameras across 884 square miles of Southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to test their effectiveness as a tool for detecting and monitoring cougar populations.  The cameras have been deployed for almost 3 weeks, and have generated thousands of images, not only of cougars but of all types of wildlife.

In addition to the non-invasive study, our ongoing research on collared cougars continues to provide insights on their prey selection, foraging ecology and social interactions.

This winter the Teton Cougar Project (TCP) documented some interesting mountain lion interactions. Panthera, our partner organization on the TCP since 2008 highlighted the findings along with a video in their June 2012 newsletter. Check it out here!

The findings are also covered in an April 2012 article in the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

This winter the Teton Cougar Project has documented some fascinating mountain lion behavior! Two adult cougars and their kittens have been sharing kills challenging the idea that mountain lions are solitary animals. Read more in this article from the Jackson Hole News&Guide.

Last week we educated students through a new program - the "Cougar Posse" in partnership with The Cougar Fund and Florida Gulf Coast University. The first field trip of this program taught Kelly Elementary School fourth and fifth grad students about mountain lions.

The Cougar Posse is a program that teaches fourth grade students about cougars, the Florida panther and water conservation. The program incorporates a multi-disciplinary approach enhancing students' skills in reading, writing, geography, math, art, and research skills. Students revolve through five different stations where volunteers and scientists teach them about kittens, research, radio collars, infrared cameras, cougar tracks, natural history and water conservation. These experiences build confidence and help all participants to understand our natural world.

The program is a partnership between:

Craighead Beringia South - Putting science to work for wildlife Craighead Beringia South is a wildlife research and education institute located in Kelly, Wyoming.

The Cougar Fund - Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming The Cougar Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit advocacy organization working to protect the cougar throughout the Americas.

Florida Gulf Coast University - The Florida Panther Posse is an environmental education program run through the “Wings of Hope” program at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).

Read more about the Cougar Posse in this Jackson Hole News&Guide article about the program.

The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole Youth Philanthropy Grant program teaches students to give away money strategically. This year students evaluated 43 organizations' proposals and after careful deliberation distributed $20,000 to 18 local non-profits. 

Craighead Beringia South is thankful to be among the 18 and have support for our Integrated Wildlife Research Education program. The funds granted will go towards the purchase of trail cameras, hardware and download data software that will be used for the Teton Cougar Project. Students will be involved in setting trail cameras to document travel routes for cougars and to contribute to agency estimations for current cougar populations.

Click here for more on the Youth Philanthropy Grant Program.

Click here for more on our Integrated Wildlife Research Education Program. 

The recent cougar sightings in Cache Creek have brought about numerous groups in the Jackson Hole community to express their concerns and opinions. Craighead Beringia South believes this is a great opportunity for the community to evaluate our willingness to educate ourselves and engage in discussions about the issues surrounding cougar management. We support management decisions based on scientific literature and research. Please read this letter from Craighead Beringia South for more info.

Click here for a link to the Wyoming Game & Fish Department Mountain Lion Management Plan referenced in the letter.

In addition to this letter here are links to the Jackson Hole News & Guide articles following the story. 

• Mountain lions spotted near Cache Creek trails JH News&Guide January 23, 2012
• Lion kittens evasive on day 3 of trapping JH News&Guide January 25, 2012

* Update: Friday, February 3rd the mother mountain lion and what turned out to be 3 kittens were released in an undisclosed location between Lander and Rawlins according to an article in the Billings Gazette. 

Thanks to everyone who attended three packed screenings of American Cougar or who watched the film on Nat Geo Wild as it kicked off Big Cat Week this past December! For those who missed it go to the Nat Geo WILD site to see film clips that capture rare footage of this elusive species. Film makers spent a year with the Teton Cougar Project to educate a larger audience about these secretive animals.

The film is now available for purchase from National Geographic To order click here or call 800.627.5162. 

A mountain lion and two kittens were spotted near the Cache Creek trail head just east of Jackson. Read the article for more info here.

Did you know that cougars have extraordinary vision? Cougars can open their pupil to an area three times larger than humans. This increases light gathering ability and enhances night vision. Cougars are both nocturnal and crepuscular (active during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk). As a result their eyes are suited to hunting both in daylight and at night.

Learn more about cougars 12:30 pm Wednesday, January 11th at the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center.  Marilyn Cuthill Teton Cougar Project coordinator will be giving a special hour long presentation to share information about cougars and the Teton Cougar Project. Please join us! Thanks to the National Elk Refuge for hosting. For more information please click here. 

For the past year filmmaker Jeff Hogan spent time in the field with the Teton Cougar Project to capture rare footage of these secretive animals. The resulting hour long film, American Cougar, will kick off Big Cat Week this Sunday on the Nat Geo Wild channel.

We invite you to join us at one of three special screenings of the film this Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, Dec. 10th 4 pm there will be a special program for kids and families at the Craig Thomas Visitor Center in Moose. Come at 3 pm to meet the researchers and filmmakers. FREE

Sunday, Dec. 11th 5 pm and 7pm at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Following each screening there will be a Q&A session with hands-on exhibits in the lobby beginning at 4:30 and 6:30. FREE

Thanks to our many supporters for making this film possible!

The Teton Cougar Project is an on-going research project that studies cougar ecology to improve management and conservation practices. Project partners Craighead Beringia South and Panthera track cougar movements for predation study, habitat use, home range analysis and population estimates.

Howard Quigley, Teton Cougar Project Director, was the guest of honor and featured speaker at a reception to benefit the Palm Beach Zoo earlier this month. He shared his work and that of the Teton Cougar Project with more then 100 guests at the event. His talk covered "Tigers, Cougars and Jaguars: Lessons Learned and Getting it Right for Cat Conservation." Check out the story and a photo from the event here.

It was a successful weekend for the Teton Cougar Project! An adult male and female cougar were located and outfitted with new GPS transmitters in order to track their movements for predation study, habitat use, home range analysis and populations estimates of these secretive animals. 

Learn more about how biologists study cougars in the upcoming National Geographic WILD film American Cougar. The film follows Craighead Beringia South and Panthera biologist's and their work on the Teton Cougar Project. The film is scheduled to premiere December 11, 2011. 

Howard Quigley and Derek Craighead who head up the Teton Cougar Project participated in panels of two different sessions at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival this week. The sessions were part of Tuesday's Big Cat Forum. The sessions brought together prominent conservationists and filmmakers to discuss where we stand and what we can do for big cat conservation. The audience made up of filmmakers, conservation organizations and interested public were able to ask questions addressing best practices, how media is used to enhance conservation and more. The two sessions were part of an all day focus on big cat conservation. The day featured a conversation with Dr. Alan Rabinowitz CEO of Panthera and the National Geographic WILD premiere of American Cougar featuring the Teton Cougar Project.

Grizzly mother and daughter swap a cub in Grand Teton National Park. Howard Quigley, Craighead Beringia South Teton Cougar Project Director, talks in the article about a similar cougar adoption he documented in the Gros Ventre.  Read the Article

Jackson Hole Magazine covers the Teton Cougar Project research which helps us better understand our local predator population. PDF

Cougar adoption observed by Craighead Beringia South researchers could be the first in the world of cougar research. Read the Article

A mountain lion was relocated after it took a detour through a garage near Hoback Junction south of Jackson. Read the Article