The Southern Cougar was the highlight of the wildlife refuge we visited in Florida. The one pictured below was one of two rescued from wealthy individual who tried to have them as pets.
Now they live in their own fenced off enclosure in the center of the refuge.
The Southern Cougar is easy to mistake for the Florida Panther, but they are not the same. The Florida Panther is a unique subspecies of the North American Cougar that is highly endangered. There are thought to be less than 100 living pairs left. Contrary to popular belief there are no black panthers native to Florida. The word panther, a regional descriptor for cougars or mountain lions in the United States, has taken on the broader definition of larger black cats else where in the world. Melanism is defined as the increased presence of black pigmentation in hair, fur, or skin. It's the opposite of albinism. The only true "panthers" in the world are melanistic leopards and jaguars which are not native to the United States. Smaller melanistic bobcats have been reported as panthers in the States, but these are rare examples. I use the term "large cat's" above loosely, because the Cougar is in fact more genetically similar to the common house cat than other large cats. It is classified in the sub family Felinae as opposed to Pantherinae which is home to Lions and Tigers. The Southern Cougars below were only called that because they were rescued from the South. Genetically they are the same as the Mountain Lions we have in Colorado, commonly known as the North American Cougar.
My fascination with big cats rivals that I have of raptors. I've lived in the West for the majority of my adult life and have never seen a mountain lion in the wild. It is said that you'll only see one if they want to be seen. With the amount of time I have spent alone in the wilderness I'm sure many have seen me or at least been aware of my presence. I have had two near misses. The first was during a hike with the dogs at the mouth of Eldorado Springs Canyon last winter. We stumbled on a fresh deer kill. It was obvious that the deer's neck had been broken and what ever was eating it had fed extensively on the abdominal area. The animal was cold to the touch, but not frozen so I would put the time of kill within the previous 12 hours. There were tracks, but they were obscured by freshly falling heavy snow. The second was after a week of reported sightings along the desolate dirt road I walk the dogs on near my house. Boulder County Rangers had posted photocopied signs reporting recent sightings on the gate to the road. This is a common occurrence during winter months and fresh tracks can usually be found in the soft soil of the dry irrigation ditch that parallels my walk. On the night of my "near miss", it was the dogs that gave away the mountain lion's presence. They hastily exited the truck and ran towards the road like always. Then one by one they slowed to stop and started bobbing their heads up and down, sniffing the air intently in the direction of the ditch. After a few moments they all ran back to me and cowardly walked at my ankles in an act of obedience that would make the Dog Wisperer blush. It was fear that was driving their behavior, which combined with my own chilling sense of being watched, caused us to walk backwards to the truck and leave immediately.
The Southern Cougars below lived in a large double fenced enclosure a top of a high point in the swamp filled with trees and shrubs. The viewing area was a large rectangular window in the double fence protected by an electric fence. As the tour group filled the viewing area I pushed to the front of the window and kneeled down so I was eye level with the cat. The cougar spotted me out of the crowd walked directly towards me. He was completely lacking of any fear and stopped about 8 feet from me. Maybe his lack of fear was because he is used to being viewed humans, but my instinct was that that wasn't the case. My curiosity overcame my fear, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the intensity of his gaze didn't send a shiver through my bones. After a brief staring contest with me he walked slowly over to tree and sat down. His body language displayed the same annoyed indifference that my cats exhibit on a daily basis.
After a short while most of the tour group lost interest and left. Disgusted by their short attention spans, I was completely captivated by the big cat. What a terrifyingly elegant example of evolution he was. This was a captive animal that had probably never hunted for food, yet he was solid and muscular. I wondered what a wild cat, that had to hunt to stay alive, might look like and again got a chill in my bones. Still down at eye level I started at the cat, who never broke his intense eye contact with me. I snapped a few pics then lowered my camera so I could just experience the moment.
Keenly aware of my presence he eventually laid down and displayed a more relaxed posture. I wondered if he had decided that I was not a threat or possible prey.
Soon the only people left were myself, Jo, her Parents, and the tour guide. I didn't want to leave, but the tour guide had a tour to give so I reluctantly got up and walked back to the bus with them. Interacting and seeing a cougar so close has only piqued my desire to see one in Colorado. I have a new found respect of how stunning and powerful this animal is. I would hope that if I do encounter a local on one of my rides this summer it's passive and not because I look like a good piece of meat!
My fascination with big cats rivals that I have of raptors. I've lived in the West for the majority of my adult life and have never seen a mountain lion in the wild. It is said that you'll only see one if they want to be seen. With the amount of time I have spent alone in the wilderness I'm sure many have seen me or at least been aware of my presence. I have had two near misses. The first was during a hike with the dogs at the mouth of Eldorado Springs Canyon last winter. We stumbled on a fresh deer kill. It was obvious that the deer's neck had been broken and what ever was eating it had fed extensively on the abdominal area. The animal was cold to the touch, but not frozen so I would put the time of kill within the previous 12 hours. There were tracks, but they were obscured by freshly falling heavy snow. The second was after a week of reported sightings along the desolate dirt road I walk the dogs on near my house. Boulder County Rangers had posted photocopied signs reporting recent sightings on the gate to the road. This is a common occurrence during winter months and fresh tracks can usually be found in the soft soil of the dry irrigation ditch that parallels my walk. On the night of my "near miss", it was the dogs that gave away the mountain lion's presence. They hastily exited the truck and ran towards the road like always. Then one by one they slowed to stop and started bobbing their heads up and down, sniffing the air intently in the direction of the ditch. After a few moments they all ran back to me and cowardly walked at my ankles in an act of obedience that would make the Dog Wisperer blush. It was fear that was driving their behavior, which combined with my own chilling sense of being watched, caused us to walk backwards to the truck and leave immediately.
The Southern Cougars below lived in a large double fenced enclosure a top of a high point in the swamp filled with trees and shrubs. The viewing area was a large rectangular window in the double fence protected by an electric fence. As the tour group filled the viewing area I pushed to the front of the window and kneeled down so I was eye level with the cat. The cougar spotted me out of the crowd walked directly towards me. He was completely lacking of any fear and stopped about 8 feet from me. Maybe his lack of fear was because he is used to being viewed humans, but my instinct was that that wasn't the case. My curiosity overcame my fear, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the intensity of his gaze didn't send a shiver through my bones. After a brief staring contest with me he walked slowly over to tree and sat down. His body language displayed the same annoyed indifference that my cats exhibit on a daily basis.
After a short while most of the tour group lost interest and left. Disgusted by their short attention spans, I was completely captivated by the big cat. What a terrifyingly elegant example of evolution he was. This was a captive animal that had probably never hunted for food, yet he was solid and muscular. I wondered what a wild cat, that had to hunt to stay alive, might look like and again got a chill in my bones. Still down at eye level I started at the cat, who never broke his intense eye contact with me. I snapped a few pics then lowered my camera so I could just experience the moment.
Keenly aware of my presence he eventually laid down and displayed a more relaxed posture. I wondered if he had decided that I was not a threat or possible prey.
Soon the only people left were myself, Jo, her Parents, and the tour guide. I didn't want to leave, but the tour guide had a tour to give so I reluctantly got up and walked back to the bus with them. Interacting and seeing a cougar so close has only piqued my desire to see one in Colorado. I have a new found respect of how stunning and powerful this animal is. I would hope that if I do encounter a local on one of my rides this summer it's passive and not because I look like a good piece of meat!
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