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Previous research has shown that mountain lions in the greater LA area are isolated and inbred because freeways and urbanization act as barriers to the movement of animals. The study found no evidence that mountain lions crossed roads more frequently in lockdown РІР‚СљSo it is actually not surprising that when there were fewer humans out and about, resident mountain lions moved less and used smaller areas as they relaxed their usual avoidance of places frequented by people РІР‚вЂњ like trails in normally busy city parks.РІР‚СњР”В«enson noted that scientists know animal behaviour is strongly influenced by humans but it remains unclear to what degree animals respond to human infrastructure, such as roads and buildings, or directly to people themselves. РІР‚СљEcological theory predicts that animals should use the smallest areas within which they can acquire resources, such as food, that they need to survive and reproduce,РІР‚Сњ Benson said. On average, mountain lions monitored via their GPS radio tracking collars were located almost a kilometer away from the nearest development.

During this period, they were actually closer to trails and development РІР‚вЂњ places that are usually dominated by humans.РІР‚СњР”В¬onsistent with previous findings from the same population, it is important to note that mountain lions rarely entered urban areas (less than 2% of the time at night and never during the day). РІР‚СљThese new findings show that, at the height of the stay-at-home order, mountain lions were able to move more efficiently when there was less need to avoid humans. РІР‚СљMountain lions are elusive and remarkably good at staying out of sight of humans РІР‚вЂњ even in LA,РІР‚Сњ said John Benson, an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the studyРІР‚в„ўs lead author. They also evaluated whether mountain lions crossed freeways and other major roads with reduced traffic during the Covid-19 shutdown. Mountain lions, however, did the opposite of that.Р”В«iologists from the University of Nebraska, the National Park Service (NPS) at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Virginia Tech conducted the study by investigating the behaviour and movement of 12 GPS-collared mountain lions (eight females, four males) occupying parklands and surrounding areas in Greater LA from January to June 2020. Speculation from the media and public helped fuel the perception that wildlife expanded their home ranges and were РІР‚ВreclaimingРІР‚в„ў cities as people sheltered-in-place. Photo Credit: National Park Service.Р”Р„ccording to a new study published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, as people sheltered in place during the initial stage of the Covid-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding areas in Greater Los Angeles used smaller areas and moved shorter distances.

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