Cougars on the Cliff

One Man's Pioneering Quest to Understand the Mythical Mountain Lion: A Memoir

De: Maurice Hornocker, David Johnson - contributor

Narrado por: Joel Richards

Maurice Hornocker is recognized worldwide as the first scientist to unravel the secrets of America's most enigmatic predator—the mountain lion. A story of redemption, this book is a memoir about the never-before-told adventures, challenges, and controversies surrounding Hornocker's groundbreaking study of cougars in the remote reaches of the Idaho Primitive Area.

North America's biggest cat was once killed for bounty dollars, slaughtered with impunity and driven toward extinction. But today's cat of intrigue, despite our lingering fears and misconceptions, has returned to much of its native range in the western United States and gained respect as a predator integral and necessary to wild ecosystems. This turnaround was triggered by one man: Maurice Hornocker. Cougars on the Cliff recounts the early years of his research when he tracked lions following a dog's nose and footprints in the snow—before telemetry was available. Hornocker was first to learn that mountain lions living in stable populations limit their own numbers through territoriality and a concept he called "mutual avoidance." This insight flew in the face of long-held beliefs that cougars were prolific and wanton killers that needed to be controlled as vermin. Thanks to Hornocker's work, today cougars can be found throughout the West and have even started to reclaim their place in New England.

©2023 Maurice Hornocker and David Johnson (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Excellent Book

I really enjoyed listening to Hornocker’s account of studying these elusive cats. There were many interesting twists and turns. I couldn’t stop listening.

I was stunned by the efforts of hunters and ranchers to derail the study. Armed men went into the study area trying to kill the tagged/collared cougars. It seems like they were afraid that science might not support their fears and misconceptions about the animals.

This is a must-listen for anyone interested in wildlife conservation. It highlights the rewards and challenges that come with researching maligned and misunderstood creatures.

The lessons presented in this book remain relevant today. Although it takes place back in the 60’s, people’s attitudes toward large predators haven’t changed much since then. Gathering data on their behavioral ecology is important for securing their future.

The story and how facts erase myth.

It was a great book very informative it helped me as a hunter see conservation a little different .

Great mountain lion stories!

An excellent study of mountain lions brought to life. Very interesting for anyone interested in wildlife conservation.

Pioneering methods, inaccurate conclusions

Hornocker pioneered mountain lion research and deserves enormous credit for that. That said, much of the information presented on the biology of mountain lions in this book is either not supported or refuted by the vast body of research conducted in the past half-century, since this initial study. I was somewhat disappointed to see that Hornocker failed to incorporate up-to-date science, and instead stubbornly stuck to his original conclusions, which were vastly speculative and drawn from a comparatively tiny dataset. As a story of the men who pioneered mountain lion captures this book is valuable and intriguing, but as a resource for those interested in learning about mountain lion biology it is lacking and potentially misleading.