136 Mountain Lions of the Black Hills
lions can depend on easy prey resources such as porcupines (Fecske, Jenks, and Lind-
zey 2003) and those they are skilled at killing, such as mule deer. Once established
and forced to adapt because of higher population size and depleted focal prey species,
mountain lions can and do learn to kill other prey, such as white- tailed deer, bighorn
sheep, mountain goats, and elk. Because these prey species were not distributed uni-
formly throughout the Black Hills, some lions became adept at killing common prey
in their subregion or home area (Smith 2014).
Population characteristics such as growth rate, primary prey, reproductive rate,
home range size, disease prevalence, ge ne tic diversity, and nutritional condition were
evaluated during this time period, which began in the 1990s and extended to 2015.
Most of the mortality documented during our study, even prior to the initiation of a
harvest, was human- related (Thompson, Jenks, and Fecske 2014). Even so, the lim-
ited harvest initiated on the species had little or no impact on population size and
ge ne tic diversity but likely improved nutritional condition and reduced disease preva-
lence within the population. Population improvement could have been the result of
increased prey availability caused by reduced population size. The mortality caused
by both agents reduced the de pen dency of mountain lions on domestic prey and
potentially increased the availability of free- ranging prey, thus limiting exposure of
mountain lions to diseases prevalent in pets, such as domestic cats and dogs. Conse-
quently, our studies illustrated how, in regions with multiple species of prey, a moun-
tain lion population can expand at a high rate over a short period of time and, when
necessary, adapt to changing conditions.
Later in our investigations, the harvest rate on mountain lions was increased. Based
on vari ous indices (including nutritional condition and disease prevalence) and popu-
lation modeling, the increased harvest likely resulted in a decline in population size.
The expected outcome of harvest was reduced ge ne tic diversity, an increased rate of
ge ne tic deformities, and population extinction. None of these effects, however, were
documented. To the contrary, we documented that ge ne tic diversity was stable and
relatively high when compared to other mountain lion populations. We suspect that
ge ne tic diversity was conserved because of adequate movement of mountain lions
within and into the Black Hills region, likely from the north and the west. As a result,
we recognize that the conservation of ge ne tic diversity and population quality can be
affected by factors beyond the control of local wildlife professionals.
The relationship between some humans and mountain lions is unique because
of the resemblance of young lions to domestic cats. Because of this similarity, I en-
countered a number of people who asked me about the feasibility of raising mountain
lions in their homes. I always responded to the question with a “no” and asked them
to think about the 100–150- pound adult cat that would be lying on their sofa in just
over a year rather than the cute 5- pound kitten they would be bringing into their
house hold. For example, a captive male mountain lion I acquired at 6 months of age
(weight was about 16 kg [39 lbs.]) that had been raised in a house hold in Montana