OVERVIEW
The Wildlife Program, in cooperation with various agency partners, recently concluded a four-year study on the effectiveness of aversive conditioning in cougars. Over 40 cougars were captured, collared, and "hazed" with hounds to develop a proactive, non-lethal strategy for managing cougar conflicts. This project aimed to understand cougars' responses to human/dog interactions and assess their ability to “learn” to avoid people and pets. The research findings have been published and can be accessed here.