(music)
>> BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK
IN WEST TEXAS.
265,000 ACRES OF CHIHUAHUAN
DESERT, A LANDSCAPE THAT SEEMS
TO DEFY THE VERY EXISTENCE
OF LIFE.
PLANTS AND ANIMALS THAT DO LIVE
HERE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR THEIR
EXISTENCE.
OVER TIME, THESE INHABITANTS
HAVE BECOME ALMOST AS HARD AS
THE COUNTRY THAT SURROUNDS THEM.
ONE RESIDENT OF THIS RUGGED
TERRAIN IS THE ELUSIVE
MOUNTAIN LION.
IN 1992, THE TEXAS PARKS &
WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHED A
STUDY OF THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
WITHIN BIG BEND RANCH.
THE OVERALL GOAL WAS TO ADD TO
THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING
THESE PREDATORS, TO DETERMINE
THE HOME RANGES OF THE ADULT
LIONS, TO LEARN THE SURVIVAL
RATE OF THE YOUNG AND EVALUATE
THE OVERALL HEALTH
OF THE POPULATION.
THROUGH THIS STUDY, WILDLIFE
PERSONNEL WOULD GAIN FIRST HAND
EXPERIENCE IN MOUNTAIN LION
ECOLOGY.
>> THE BIG CANYON, IT GOT THAT
GREAT BIG ROCK PILE IN IT.
YOU REMEMBER WE FOUND THAT
SCAT IN THERE.
>> THE FIRST STEP IS TO
LOCATE THE CATS.
FOR THE MOST PART, THIS MEANS
WALKING FOR MILES INTO THE
RUGGED BACK COUNTRY, LOOKING FOR
EVIDENCE OF THEIR PASSING.
>> IN DOING SURVEY WORK ON
MOUNTAIN LIONS YOU'RE NOT
LOOKING FOR THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
THEMSELVES, 'CAUSE THEY'RE VERY
SELDOM SEEN, VERY RARELY SEEN
IN THE WILD.
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR TRACKS,
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SCAT,
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE SCRAPES
THE MALES LEAVE AND THIS STUFF
IS PREDICTABLE, WHERE YOU CAN
FIND IT, AFTER YOU'VE GOT
EXPERIENCE.
SEE IT'S PRETTY WET ON THE
BOTTOM SIDE.
>> SI, SI MAS FISCO.
>> OK, SO WE'VE GOT A SMALL
FEMALE LION GOING DOWN
THE CREEK HERE.
WE FOUND SOME LION SCAT HERE.
A LITTLE FRESHER THAN THAT WE
FOUND EARLIER THIS MORNING
IN ANOTHER CANYON.
THINGS ARE PICKING UP
A LITTLE BIT.
WE'LL PROBABLY SNARE THIS CANYON
ALTHOUGH IT'LL BE A LONG WALK
IN HERE.
I THINK WE OUGHT TO TRY TO
CATCH THIS LION.
MAY BE A REAL GOOD SNARE SITE
RIGHT THERE.
A HECK OF A MOUNTAIN.
>> EVERYTHING GONNA FUNNEL
THROUGH THAT THING.
>> YEAH IT'S A GOOD PLACE.
I THINK THAT LION WE'VE SEEN
TRACKS OF CAME DOWN
THROUGH HERE.
(scraping sounds)
>> ONCE A FAVORABLE LOCATION
HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED,
THE FIELD TEAM SETS THE TRAPS.
THEN A WAITING GAME BEGINS THAT
CAN GO ON FOR WEEKS.
DURING THE FIELD SEASON THERE
MAY BE UP TO A HALF DOZEN SUCH
SITES, AND EACH ONE MUST BE
CHECKED ON A DAILY BASIS.
>> LITTLE YANKEE INGENUITY RIGHT
THERE.
LOOKS PRETTY GOOD LUIS.
PRETTY GOOD SET,
FOR A LITTLE OLE CANYON.
>> BY 1995, THERE WERE 10
MOUNTAIN LIONS THAT HAD BEEN
TRAPPED, COLLARED WITH A RADIO
TRANSMITTER, RELEASED,
AND MONITORED ON THE
BIG BEND RANCH.
APPROXIMATELY EVERY TWO WEEKS,
MEMBERS OF THE TEAM FLY OVER
THE RANCH AND COLLECT RADIO
TELEMETRY ON THE CATS.
FROM THIS DATA THE RANGES
AND TERRITORIES OF THESE
MOUNTAIN LIONS HAVE BEEN MAPPED.
THE LIONS ARE RECAPTURED EVERY
24 TO 26 MONTHS SO THAT THEY CAN
BE FITTED WITH NEW COLLARS
WITH FRESH BATTERIES.
TODAY THE DOGS WILL BE USED TO
HELP TRACK A CAT THAT IS
SCHEDULED FOR RECOLLARING.
>> DOGS IS A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT MEANS OF CAPTURE.
IT'S A VERY GOOD MEANS
OF LIVE CAPTURE.
IT'S A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT IN
OPEN DESERT COUNTRY BECAUSE YOU
DON'T HAVE THE TREES LIKE YOU DO
IN OTHER AREAS, SO IT REQUIRES A
LITTLE MORE MAN POWER AND IT'S A
VERY EXCITING METHOD OF CAPTURE,
BUT IT'S ALSO VERY SAFE IF
YOU'VE GOT THE EXPERIENCE IN IT.
(Airplane engine)
>> ONCE THE MOUNTAIN LION HAS
BEEN LOCATED BY THE PERSONNEL
IN THE AIR, THE CHASE ON THE
GROUND BEGINS.
(dogs barking)
>> HOW FAR IS THAT LION FROM
THAT CORNER IF WE CAN'T GET
TO IT AND WE HAVE TO WALK?
>> IT'LL BE...
IT'S GONNA BE OVER HERE A WAYS.
(radio noise)
>> COME HERE!
COME HERE!
10-4.
COME HERE.
(Airplane noise)
>> WE NEED TO GET DOWN SOME,
TOWARD THE OTHER POINT
OVER THERE.
>> COME ON!
BE CAREFUL.
I'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME HELP
ON THESE KITTENS.
COME ON!
FIXING TO GO HERE.
COME ON.
HEY!
COME HERE!
GET EM RALLY.
COME ON RALLY.
(Dogs barking)
>> EXPECTING TO FIND ONLY
ONE CAT, THE FIELD CREW WAS
SUPRISED TO FIND A MOTHER
AND A NUMBER OF KITTENS.
THE MOTHER ESCAPED, BUT ONE
OF THE KITTENS WAS CAPTURED.
>> WE REALLY HIT A FAMILY HERE,
THAT'S GOOD LUCK.
BUT YOU GUYS DID A HECK OF A
JOB GETTING OVER HERE.
TOUGH DEAL, BUT I'M GLAD YOU
DID WHAT YOU NEEDED TO DO.
>> I THINK THE FUTURE IN TEXAS
IS FAIRLY BRIGHT FOR THE
MOUNTAIN LION AS LONG AS
THINGS STAY MORE OR LESS LIKE
THEY ARE RIGHT NOW.
THE PRIVATE LANDOWNERS THAT
HAVE CATTLE SEEM TO BE ABLE TO
LIVE WITH THE MOUNTAIN LION
ALL RIGHT.
IT'S USUALLY WHERE MOUNTAIN LION
AND SHEEP AND GOATS COME INTO
CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER THAT
YOU HAVE A CONFLICT.
RIGHT NOW IN WEST TEXAS THERE'S
NOT MANY SHEEP AND GOATS,
SO IN WEST TEXAS, THE POPULATION
IS STABLE AND EVEN INCREASING
IN SOME PLACES.
>> GONNA WAIT TILL IT GOES OUT A
LITTLE BIT MORE,AND THEN TRY TO
PUT THE COLLAR ON IT THEN I'LL
TAKE MEASUREMENTS.
AND THEN WE'LL GIVE HER,
GIVE HER THE REVERSAL,
AND A LITTLE BIT OF PENICILLIN.
AND I PUT HER BACK IN THIS HOLE,
HOPEFULLY MOMMA WILL COME
BACK FOR HER.
>> I HOPE THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE
LIONS IN TEXAS.
BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE
HAVE TO PROTECT THEIR PROPERTY.
SO IT, IT'S A GIVE AND TAKE
SITUATION RIGHT NOW FOR MOUNTAIN
LIONS, AND IT PROBABLY WILL BE
THAT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
(Music)
>> THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED BY THIS
STUDY, AND OTHERS LIKE IT,
WILL PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN
DECIDING THE FUTURE OF
THE MOUNTAIN LIONS.
TODAY IN TEXAS THESE CATS
REMAIN UNPROTECTED BY LAW.
BY INCREASING OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THESE PREDATORS, WE CAN
HOPEFULLY ENSURE THAT THEY WILL
CONTINUE TO THRIVE AS LIVING
REMINDERS OF OUR NATURAL
HERITAGE.