Epilogue 137would consistently move away when I approached his pen but often would hiss and
attack when I was feeding him if our eyes met when we were near each other. In con-
trast, his sibling (18 kg [44 lbs.] at 6 months of age) would just attempt to hide from
me despite weighing substantially more than his hostile brother (both weighed more
than 42 kg [100 lbs.] when they were transferred to a zoo). These interactions, along
with those of a number of kittens I raised to 6 months of age or older, convinced me
that young as well as adult mountain lions are unpredictable, respond innately to
sounds and actions, and despite a desire to move away when in threatening situa-
tions, can attack even the most devoted owner who has no intention to cause harm to
the animal.
Because of their size, secrecy, and adaptations for killing and consuming large prey,
mountain lions elicit positive and negative responses from people. When mountain
lions were initially recolonizing the Black Hills, some of the residents of the Black Hills
and South Dakota appeared excited about the presence of this new species. Many con-
sidered the Black Hills to be a functioning ecosystem that was replete with prey and
their natu ral predators. However, this feeling of awe changed somewhat as the size of
the mountain lion population increased and the potential effects of mountain lions
figure E.2. Mountain lions generally loaf (sleep) during the day and become active at
night. Photo by Dan Thompson.