Overview

"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."

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"""Many animals that have been studied have a great number of people that pioneered the way. For cougars, it is mostly just one person: Maurice Hornocker...His story needs to be told for all to know. It is remarkable."" -- ""Douglas W. Smith, Senior Wildlife Biologist, Yellowstone National Park"""

Author Information

Maurice Hornocker is a wildlife biologist best known for advancing our knowledge of the elusive mountain lion's behavior and ecology. During his fifty-five years of research in Idaho, New Mexico, and Yellowstone National Park, he published numerous scientific papers about cougars and edited books that include Cougar: Ecology & Conservation, Yellowstone Cougars (which was the recipient of a 2020 The Wildlife Society Publication Award), and Desert Puma (which was the recipient of the 2002 The Wildlife Society Book of the Year Award). His writing, research, and mountain lion photographs have appeared in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian, and National Wildlife magazine. He and his colleagues have also conducted pioneering research on other big cat species throughout the world including Siberian tigers, jaguars, leopards, ocelots, lynx, and bobcats. Hornocker and his wife, Leslie, live in Bellevue, Idaho, with their bird dogs, dressage horses, and a domestic cat named Redd. Joel Richards was the kid who did crazy things just to have a good story to tell afterward. On deciding to make his affection his profession, he received a BFA in acting and a BA in English from the University of Utah, and later an MA in oral storytelling from East Tennessee State University. He has narrated over 150 audiobooks (fiction and nonfiction) and continues to tell his original stories to live audiences. David Johnson has worked in the helping professions for over thirty-five years. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a master's degree in social work and over a decade of experience as a minister. In addition to the four novels comprising the Tucker series, he has authored several nonfiction books, including Navigating the Passages of Marriage and Real People, Real Problems, and has published numerous articles in national and local media.

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