76 Mountain Lions of the Black Hills
ease. One such subadult mountain lion that fought with a territory holder of approxi-
mate age of 4.5 years died from wounds to the head and front paws (see fig. 4.2 [top]).
The territory holder had bitten off both ears, sliced through the skin about the eyes
and forehead, and bitten the front forelegs multiple times ( there were more than
20 lacerations to the right front foreleg of the younger lion). Although undocumented,
a high probability of disease transmission was mentioned when the case was discussed
with disease pathologists at SDSU.
We did not quantify internal (e.g., helminths) and external (e.g., ticks) parasites of
mountain lions when conducting necropsies, even though the species is known to carry
a number of these pathogens (Forrester, Conti, and Belden 1985). We were unaware
of these external parasites partially because most of the carcasses we necropsied that
had not been previously skinned were generally free of these parasites. Some mountain
lions that were necropsied, especially older individuals, held numerous tapeworms, and
it seemed as if the quantity increased or that internal parasites were more common in
lions necropsied around the time we believed the population became saturated, as well
as when consumption of deer by lions became more common. As mentioned, Taenia
omissa was prevalent in 37% of mule deer from the southern Black Hills (Zimmerman
2004); this species of tapeworm has been documented in Florida panthers (Foster
et al. 2006) and in mountain lions in Manitoba (Dare and Watkins 2012). Rausch,
Maser, and Hoberg (1983) documented nine Ta e n i a species from 39 mountain lions
obtained from northeastern Oregon. Furthermore, Taenia omissa were documented
in a mountain lion that died in Connecticut and was linked to the Black Hills (Hawley
et al. 2016). Therefore, it is likely that the internal parasites we observed in mountain
lion intestines also were Ta e n i a.
Mange (Notoedres cati) has been documented in mountain lions (Uzal et al. 2007),
and the prevalence of this disease can increase with population size; however, we did
not document the typical alopecia (hair loss) and skin crusts normally associated with
mange in any of the mountain lions necropsied, either when the population was be-
lieved to be low or after it had increased. Again, most carcasses that we necropsied
had been skinned, and thus, some could have been infected with this disease, but our
field observations of captured lions did not provide support for its existence.
Our experiences with diseases provided some fascinating information on the po-
tential relationship between mountain lions and diseases that are mostly associated
with domestic species. Our experiences with cloudy- eye syndrome suggest that infec-
tious diseases that become problematic with high population size may become trivial
once the population is reduced to a size that minimizes interactions between lions,
humans, and their pets. Nevertheless, as we have documented with dispersing moun-
tain lions (Thompson et al. 2009), domestic pets will be consumed by inexperienced
younger lions in need of an easy meal.