Mountain Lions of the Black Hills

Introduction 9

heterozygosity (Hobs ) (0.49) than four other geo graph i cally distinct mountain lion
populations (Hobs 0.51–0.56) located in Wyoming (Anderson, Lindzey, and McDonald
2004); the mountain lion samples from the Black Hills used in this analy sis were es-
tablished males and females captured in the southern Black Hills (see chapter 7 for
recent estimates of heterozygosity for Black Hills lions). Anderson’s findings seemed
to support the low number of individual mountain lions in the Black Hills region at the
time. Low population size is generally associated with reduced ge ne tic variability, and
in the Black Hills the estimated population size at that time was “just a few” mountain
lions. Therefore, most evidence pointed to the hypothesis that there were indeed only a
few animals in the Black Hills and that, because most were likely located in the southern
region, mountain lions likely had recolonized the Black Hills from the southwest.
Nevertheless, after mountain lions received protection, sightings began increasing,
especially in the southern region of the Black Hills. In 1997, based on anecdotal infor-
mation, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks estimated that there
were 15 to 25 mountain lions in the Black Hills (SDGFP 1998b). The agency became
concerned about mountain lions after a few incidents occurred involving depredation
to livestock and horses and after two kills (mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus) (fig. 1.8)
made by mountain lions were found within the Rapid City limits (T. Benzon, South
Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, pers. commun.); Rapid City, on the outskirts of the Black
Hills, had at the time a population of 57,513 (as estimated by the Rapid City Chamber
of Commerce in 2003). Because livestock is a major commodity in the region, and
mountain lions had attacked people in other western states (Beier 1991), in 1998 the
South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks drafted a mountain lion action

0.73

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

Repor

ts (adjusted by human population)

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

0.60

0.10 0.09

Custer Fall RiverLawrencePennington

figure 1.7. Mountain lion reports (sightings) in the Black Hills, adjusted for

county population size. Skelton and Jenks 2000.