The Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative uses GPS collaring technology to study the movement and dispersal of cougars. Studying cougars is challenging due to their elusive nature, and new findings often lead to further questions. One focus is the movement of cougars across various landscapes.
Contrary to previous beliefs, cougars are more social than thought. They can breed and produce kittens year-round. Cougars have the widest distribution of any big cat, from the Canadian Yukon to the Andes Mountains in South America. Historically, they were found across the continental United States. Today, they are found from the Pacific coast to the Dakotas and Nebraska, with a small population in Florida. Sightings of cougars east of their known range suggest they are traveling long distances.
Since 2018, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Brigham Young University, and Utah State University have been placing GPS tracking collars on adult cougars in Utah. Over 60 cougars have been collared, providing data on their feeding behavior, reproduction, survival, mortality, and movement. The cougars are captured using trained hounds that track them by scent to a tree. Once tranquilized and safely lowered, samples and measurements are collected, and a GPS tracking collar is fitted.