| Cougar (Puma concolor) use of residential areas and interactions with people are an increasing conservation concern and management priority. I utilized Global Positioning System radio collars, utilization distributions (UDs), Resource Utilization Functions (RUFs), and statistical models to investigate cougar spatial ecology, predation patterns, and interactions with people in a wildland-urban environment in western Washington from 2003-2008. Ninety three percent of cougars (n = 27) utilized residential areas with an average UD overlap of 16.86% (SD = 17.05, n = 33 cougar yrs). There were no differences between male and female (F1,28 = 0.699, P = 0.41) or resident and transient (F1,28 = 0.0004, P = 0.98) use of residential areas, but subadult use was significantly higher than adults (F1,28 = 6.990, P = 0.01). Space use patterns were variable with higher use of areas with landscape features associated with increased prey availability and limited residential development. Comparison of wildland and residential RUFs and movement rates revealed few differences between use of wildland and residential areas. Deer (55.3%), beaver (22.0%), and elk (8.8%) constituted the bulk of cougar diet (n = 304 kills). Wildland and residential prey compositions were significantly different ( X29 = 67.30, P < 0.001) with a higher proportion of deer, beavers, and mountain beavers in wildland areas and more coyotes, raccoons, opossums, and domestic species close to residential development. Field investigations confirmed only 29% of interaction reports (n = 73) and interaction rates were low (0.0016 interactions per radio day). Specific demographic classes were involved in approximately equal numbers of interactions with the propensity for interaction driven primarily by individual behavior. Cougar use of residential areas in western Washington is a function of high levels of suitable habitat within a matrix of residential development. Low levels of confirmed interactions coupled with exceedingly low interaction rates calls into question the validity of management decisions based on interaction reports while suggesting the perceived level of risk from cougars in residential areas disproportionally exceeds actual risk. |
