Data from: Survival and mortality of pumas (Puma concolor) in a fragmented, urbanizing landscape

Wide-ranging large carnivores pose myriad challenges for conservation,
especially in highly fragmented landscapes. Over a 13-year period, we
combined monitoring of radio collared pumas (Puma concolor) with
complementary multi-generational genetic analyses to inform puma
conservation in southern California, USA. Our goals were to generate
survivorship estimates, determine causes of mortality, identify barriers
to movement, and determine the genetic and demographic challenges to puma
persistence among >20,000,000 people and extensive urban, suburban,
and exurban development. Despite protection from hunting, annual survival
for radio collared pumas was surprisingly low (55.8%), and humans caused
the majority of puma deaths. The most common sources of mortality were
vehicle collisions (28% of deaths), and mortalities resulting from
depredation permits issued after pumas killed domestic animals (17% of
deaths). Other human-caused mortalities included illegal shootings, public
safety removals, and human-caused wildfire. An interstate highway (I-15)
bisecting this study area, and associated development, have created a
nearly impermeable barrier to puma movements, resulting in severe genetic
restriction and demographic isolation of the small puma population (n ~
17–27 adults) in the Santa Ana Mountains west of I-15. Highways that
bisect habitat or divide remaining “conserved” habitat, and associated
ongoing development, threaten to further subdivide this already fragmented
puma population and increase threats to survival. This study highlights
the importance of combining demographic and genetic analyses, and
illustrates that in the absence of effective measures to reduce mortality
and enhance safe movement across highways, translocation of pumas, such as
was done with the endangered Florida panther (P. c. coryi), may ultimately
be necessary to prevent further genetic decline and ensure persistence of
the Santa Ana Mountains population.