Welcome!

Cougars, like people, populate most of California. But unlike people, they do so at very low numbers on the landscape. You are most likely to come into contact with a cougar near your home if you live near remnant natural habitat. Cougars tend to avoid residential areas and are generally fearful of people but sometimes use our backyards out of necessity as their habitat is increasingly fragmented by urbanization. Here are measures you can take to prevent or resolve conflicts with cougars.

 Cougars, like us, want to avoid confrontation. They are cautious animals that purposely try to avoid humans whenever possible - audio recordings of human voices can even drive them to abandon their food cache! There is enough individual variation between cougars, however, that some may choose to avoid us but not the areas we recreate in. While cougar attacks are extremely rare, it’s important to take these preventive measures when recreating in cougar habitat to ensure the safety of yourself and the cougars you share space with.