Utah Mountain Lion Conservation

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Utah Mountain Lion Conservation

All about mountain lions in Utah. Conservation through education, research, & collaboration!

We are proud to be partnering with Brigham Young University and the Division of Wildlife Resources on a cougar study that will initially be focused on prey selection and scavenging behavior. We are also deploying remotely triggered cameras at kill sites to document interactions between mountain lions, as well as other wildlife that may visit a site. The crucial information gained from this study w

ill help improve our understanding of mountain lions in Utah, as well as improve management decisions in the future. We are actively out in the field working with volunteers to collect trail camera footage of our wild lions so we can observe their behaviors and catch a glimpse into the every day lives of these secretive cats. Footage from our trail cameras are used in our education programs that are focused on raising awareness and increasing understanding of the nature of mountain lions. We currently have trail camera in the mountains throughout Northern Utah and are looking to expand our survey areas further south in the near future.

06/10/2026

We need your help changing the laws around Utah mountain lion management. Unlimited, year-round hunting, trapping, and snaring of mountain lions isn’t a practice based in science. In fact, it acts as a direct detriment to our ecosystems — it endangers pets and hound dogs, and disrupts natural processes.

People of all backgrounds and opinions can preserve and protect our wildlands in Utah when we listen to one another and work together to find compromises that help us all. Help us get things back on track toward a balanced natural wildlife ecosystem by opposing Utah’s mountain lion “study” and asking for real, science-based wildlife management instead. Let’s try something different. For us. For our traditions. And for our lions.

Call your local representatives or the DWR to let them know why current policy isn’t science-based.
DWR Director Riley Peck (801) 538-4703 [email protected]
DWR Mammals Coordinator Chad Wilson (801) 391-1234 [email protected]

Learn more on our website at www.utahmountainlion.org/the-issue and/or come out and meet us in person at our events!

06/02/2026

We’re sure excited to see you TONIGHT at the Sunset Safari with ! Come learn about Utah mountain lions at our table, and see some of our favorite trail cam footage! 🐾 We’ll be there from 6pm - 9pm.

This event is limited to Hogle Zoo members only. We’ve got several public events coming up, and would love to see you there if you’re not able to make it tonight!

Check out our calendar, link in bio! 🔗

05/29/2026

We’ve got some wild events coming your way next week! We have events all over the state so be sure to check out our calendar to see if we’ve got something going on in your neck of the woods: utahmountainlion.org/calendar

05/26/2026

We love cats — and talking all about them! Come learn about Utah lions at one of our free public educational programs, or schedule one yourself for a group!

🔗 Find our calendar link in our bio, or reach out to us at [email protected].

“If children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it. And if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it. And if they don’t protect it, who will?” -David Attenborough

05/19/2026

Our Puma Party was SO PACKED! It was insane! Thank you all so much for coming out, hearing our panel, and asking your questions — and, of course, for grabbing a great beer with us 😉

We hope you walked away knowing how much we have in common with our neighbors, how much we all want to support each other, and that you have a very real voice for change in our Utah mountain lion management. We need your voices, and boy, was it loud on Sunday!

05/17/2026

Bring your questions, try some amazing beer, and meet others who care about these big cats TONGHT at our 2026 Puma Party!

We’ll have stickers, cool art AND an exclusive panel featuring…

Dr. David Stoner (mountain lion researcher and professor at Utah State University)
Aaron Johnson (houndsman)
Joshua Lisbon (wildlife filmmaker and researcher)
& Denise Peterson (UMLC Founder)!

See you there at from 5p-8p!

05/16/2026

We’re excited to announce we’ve revamped our logo! The idea came to me after a long, hard winter since the start of the predator removal study that’s affecting so many of our lions. The final design idea came to me after witnessing the loss of a starving, orphaned kitten firsthand hand. This is our way of honoring and remembering the lives that are being lost because of Utah’s poor management.

Mountain lion numbers in Utah are dropping at an alarming rate. Today, the ongoing predator management study is actively removing as many mountain lions as possible. This includes families and kittens. This, simply put, is not science-based management.

We’re going to keep up the fight for these cats, whatever it takes. We believe that science-based management can and should be restored for Utah’s mountain lions. We want to see our cats properly managed by biologists and the experts that truly understand them. For them and for us.

Thank you to everyone out there that’s working to improve things for Utah’s lions. We’re all in this together and your efforts are appreciated!

And huge thanks to for bringing new life to our logo! 🙏

05/14/2026

If you missed yesterday’s interview with , you can listen to it here: https://krcl.org/blog/of-mountain-lions-and-man/

Huge thanks to Aaron Johnson, Andy Rice, and Dr. Mark Elbroch for being a part of the discussion and our sincerest gratitude to KRCL for the opportunity to come out and talk about our lions. 🙏

🔗 Link in bio.

05/13/2026

How does current Utah mountain lion legislation and the ongoing predator management study affect our houndsmen, ranchers, and hikers, and what could change it for the better?

We’re having a live discussion on KRCL’s RadioACTive program to fill you in on how Utah’s current mountain lion management is affecting not only our lions, but our traditions.

Hear a range of great perspectives, learn about our latest ecological data and science, and find out about how YOU can help make real change TONIGHT on KRCL!

05/09/2026

Study Saturday!

This Saturday we want to highlight another amazing way cougars play a role in the ecosystem. This study looked at spatial interactions of apex predator mountain lions and mesopredator coyotes.

Cougars create pressure and competition for coyotes by being a threat to them. In areas where habitat overlaps, this study shows that coyotes avoid deer and cougar selected areas as habitat and feeding sites. In the east where coyotes do not live amongst cougars, they are a top predator for deer.

Coyotes have been studied and observed to show compensatory birth methods meaning when they are being removed in high numbers females will begin to have larger litters more often. This study points evidence to the fact that cougars are effective methods to keep coyotes away and out of fawning areas.

Now lets apply this information to the cougar removal study... if we remove the top competition for coyotes, it is possible that they will adapt behaviors of coyotes in the eastern half of the US that also do not compete with cougars. This means they could move up the chain as predators for deer. Coyotes also are significantly harder to monitor and control unlike lions. So do we really want to replace a predator with another that is harder to deal with? It is important that when management decisions are being made, the whole ecosystem is being looked at. This is why we are pushing for science-based management with decisions made by biologists, not politicians.
Please continue to voice your thoughts and opinions about whats going on in Utah to the DWR and representatives. If you need help, send us a message!
As always, stay educated and respectful🐾

Study linked in story highlight under "studies"

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Salt Lake City, UT

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http://www.utahmountainlion.org/donate

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