The Santa Cruz Sentinel talked with Environmental Studies Asst. Professor Chris Wilmers and Ph.D. Candidate Yiwei Wang about the Puma Project's tracking of "Atlas," a mountain lion who has found a way to survive and thrive in a range bisected by Highway 17.
Below is an excerpt from the article, "The ghost cat: Mountain lion slips across Highway 17 regularly," by Jason Hoppin:
Atlas stands out, not only by daring the highway but by demonstrating just how tough mountain lions can be. After being struck, researchers were getting odd feedback before they lost Atlas' signal altogether, initially fearing him killed.
"He didn't move for a really long time. We weren't sure if he was dead or not," said Yiwei Wang, a UCSC doctorate candidate.
It wouldn't have been unprecedented. A female lion was killed on Highway 17 more than a year ago, a necropsy later showing her pregnant. While she was killed in the middle of 16M's territory, researchers have not yet confirmed whether Atlas was the father.
She was the second female within Atlas' territory to die, which may explain why his domain is so massive - he's looking for a companion. Is he crossing Highway 17 in search of romance?
A few months passed before researchers heard from Atlas again, when he was captured on a black-and-white, motion-activated camera. Puma Project researchers captured him in April 2011, when the wound was still open and larger than a fist. When caught again last December, it still hadn't healed.
Despite that encumbrance, his dominion now runs from Aptos to the outer reach of Castle Rock State Park. If you live in the Santa Cruz Mountains between Highways 152 and 236, Atlas is probably your lion.
The article is online at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.