The Bay Area canyon mountain lion and people

She’s a cautious mountain lion. She wants nothing to do with people and does whatever is necessary to avoid them. She travels through the canyon on the wildlife and hiking trails during those times when she is less likely to encounter people. At the first hint of a human, she quietly disappears into the brush. She knows when there are people nearby because they’re loud, not just vocally but in other ways. They walk heavy, the ground creaks and rattles under their feet, grasses crunch. People aren’t subtle on the trails. Although pumas avoid humans, there are exceptions. Females can be belligerent when accompanied by cubs. Like all species, maternal instinct kicks in. Another exception is when a mountain lion feels cornered.

Many wild animals, including the canyon mountain lion, venture out between dusk to dawn to find food and other resources, times when human activity is minimal. The presence of people alters the dynamics between predators and prey, changes feeding behaviors^{1, 2} and the locations for hunting, foraging and sheltering. Although some species, including mountain lions and bobcats, are naturally nocturnal and/or crepuscular³, studies are showing that wild animals are shifting their activities from day to night to avoid humans⁴. People should be mindful and time-share the canyon and other natural spaces with the wild residents, only enjoying them during the day. The night belongs to wildlife. Don’t visit the canyon at night, instead walk on the street in the evenings and at night. The street runs parallel to the canyon and is less than four hundred yards away.

Our canyon mountain lion runs from a person

On the night of August 23^rd, in our bay area canyon, the mountain lion avoided an encounter with a walker who stumbled up the trail. Most likely, he had no idea that he was right behind the mountain lion, heading in the same direction. The time stamp on the first video shows the puma rushing up the trail at 8:39 PM. A few seconds later, at 8:40 PM, the walker is captured on film following closely behind her.

The time stamp on the first video shows the puma rushing up the trail at 8:39 PM.

A few seconds later, at 8:40 PM, the walker is captured on film following closely behind her.

Mountain lions follow their prey

Mountain lions follow their food and their favorite meal is venison. The canyon is currently hosting a substantial number of deer. There is plenty of vegetation, water, and cover for them. Until recently, it’s been a relatively safe haven for the does and their fawns. Before the puma showed up in July, the only predators that raised concern were a pair of coyotes who are regulars in the canyon.

A mountain lion will kill and eat approximately one deer a week. Our canyon lion, like all pumas, doesn’t eat the whole thing in one sitting. She first drags the carcass somewhere nearby and then caches it; covering it with forest detritus to protect it from scavengers and reduce spoilage. Depending on the size of the prey and other environmental factors, it can take her between 2-5 days to consume it. Being a typical mountain lion, she’ll stay nearby, unless frightened away, until the carcass is eaten or spoiled. She isn’t the only one who benefits from her hunting prowess. When she’s away from the carcass, other animals have a chance to grab a quick bite—coyotes, raptors, skunks, and other wildlife benefit from the puma’s successful hunt.

On August 22^nd, our bay area canyon mountain lion stalked and ambushed a fawn, one of two who was birthed by a lame, resident doe. Although sad to see, the death of that one fawn is ecologically significant. That fawn died so that others can live and thrive. Her death was not in vain—it contributed to keeping the eco-system balanced and healthy. She fed the community.

The delicate balance of the ecosystem

The presence of the mountain lion in the bay area canyon serves as a powerful reminder of the delicate balance between wildlife and human activity. Our puma plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the canyon ecosystem. By regulating the deer population, she helps prevent overgrazing, reduces disease transmission (including Lyme disease), and provides sustenance for other wildlife. Additionally, because she is an opportunistic hunter she hunts smaller prey including rats.

By being mindful of our impact on the environment and sharing these spaces responsibly with wildlife and bay area mountain lions, we can help maintain the health of the ecosystem and its wild residents. The canyon, with its rich ecosystem, offers a sanctuary for many species, and it is our duty to protect and preserve it. One small way we can help the ecosystem is to enjoy the canyon only during the day—don’t go there at night. The night belongs to the wild ones. Enjoy the canyon and other open spaces during the day and leave the night to its rightful inhabitants.

1. Justine A. Smith , Justin P. Suraci1, Michael Clinchy, Ayana Crawford, Devin Roberts, Liana Y. Zanette, and Christopher C. Wilmers. Fear of the human ‘super predator’ reduces feeding time in large carnivores. September 14, 2025.

2. Veronica Yovovich, Meredith Thomsen, Christopher C. Wilmers. Pumas’ fear of humans precipitates changes in plant architecture January 1, 2021. Ecosphere www.esajournals.org 1 v Volume 12(1) v Article e03309

3. Crepuscular: Crepuscular animals are the most active during dawn and dusk.

4. Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Cheryl E. Hojnowski, Neil H. Carter, and Justin S. Brashares. The influence of human disturbance on wildlife nocturnality Jun 2018 Vol 360, Issue 6394 pp. 1232-1235

Marilyn is a certified cat behavior consultant (The Cat Coach, LLC). Not surprisingly, she’s fascinated by feline behavior. This started with household cats and then after witnessing a puma being killed four blocks from her home in the suburbs, expanded to include local bay area mountain lions and bobcats. A few years after the tragedy, she joined the Bay Area Puma Project/Felidae Conservation Fund, maintaining trail cameras, writing and helping wherever she can. Her focus is on how urbanization is affecting apex predators’ behaviors.

She is also an author and educator. Her book Naughty No More! focuses on solving cat behavior issues through clicker training, environmental changes as well as other positive reinforcement techniques. She gives presentations throughout the United States as well as writes columns and articles for a variety of venues.

Join Marilyn for lively discussions about all things feline on her Facebook pages: The Cat Coach and Urbanedge Wildlife

The post Living with Mountain Lions in a Bay Area Canyon appeared first on Urban Edge Wildlife.

It’s not always in the best interests for predators to have unintended encounters with other predators. Meetings can end badly with individuals being hurt and sometimes killed. Predators need ways to define territories, identify family members as well as advertise for mates. And, these communication systems have to work remotely. The messages need to be clear for minutes, hours, sometimes days after being strategically placed.

Sharing a limited area

The little canyon is only 93 acres. Houses at the rim and two busy roads surround the wild area. One of the roads separates the canyon from an expansive, natural habitat that is enclosed by fences. Although predators and ungulates make regular forays back and forth across the road, wildlife has to adjust their behaviors in order to share the limited area in the canyon.

Predators communicate through scent marking

Scent marking is an effective form of communication, broadcasting a variety of messages including when individuals patrol the trail. It helps predators, including bobcats, coyotes and an occasional mountain lion, time share the path with a minimum of unplanned encounters. They mark by spraying, urinating, defecating and scraping in prominent spots. In addition to excrement, felids distribute their scent by scratching objects, face rubbing and head butting.

Scent marking is similar to leaving time-stamped calling cards. Scent glands release pheromones that other animals detect. They broadcast dossiers of information about the markers along with their intentions. In addition to delineating territories, scent identifies individuals, their health, sex, and whether they’re ready to rendezvous with a member of the opposite sex. The freshness of the mark time stamps the visit.

Wildlife kiosk

One of our cameras is positioned to record predators marking at the same site. The wildlife cam is facing a popular wildlife intersection that is frequently visited by multiple species. It captures videos of coyotes, bobcats and domestic dogs sniffing the spot and then leaving their individual calling cards that are detected by the next animal making his/her rounds. Most predators spend time checking the marked spot, but not all leave calling cards.

The camera repeatedly catches the same coyote pair on patrol. They take turns urinating in the same spot. Hours later, a solitary coyote usually checks out the smell and then hurries up the path without marking.  We’ve seen the same behavior from bobcats.

Four to five bobcats frequent the intersection. One male and a female with her two kittens are regularly recorded. The male is typically solitary, whereas the female is often in the company of her kittens, unless she’s hunting. We’ve seen the kittens develop from when they were a couple of months old. The larger kitten has recently become interested in the marked spot. Although he (we are assuming this is a male) hasn’t left his calling card, he thoroughly checks out the scents.

It’s not just the wild animals who are fascinated with the virtual sign post. The trail is popular with people and their dogs. The camera documents dogs sniffing and then urinating over the marks left by their wild coyote cousins and bobcats. People who walk their dogs daily on the trail probably don’t think about why their dogs choose that particular spot to mark.

The scent markings also serve as alerts for animals down the food chain who are potential meals. Even with built-in artillery, this skunk doesn’t stay long. He takes a whiff and makes a quick getaway.

Household predators

Our sweet companion cats engage in many of the same instinctual behaviors that their wild felid cousins do. Scent is important to them as well—they mark for the same reasons and ways their cousins do. In addition to facial rubs, head butting and scratching objects, whole domestic and feral cats will mark with urine and feces (spaying and neutering household cats usually stops them from marking with excreta).

Natural habitats are shrinking. Highways cut through territories, buildings encroach on wild areas. Urbanization has greatly reduced the wild lands that are the homes for many animal species. In order to survive, animals must adjust to the shrinking lands. Predators who are territorial, need to share the land—scent marking is one of the effective ways that they can share the same space, but not necessarily at the same time.

Please check out my Facebook page The Cat Coach.  It’s about all things cat…

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