I’ve been watching a mountain lion stalk its prey through the forest at night when I’m out hunting mice myself. It’s amazing how quiet they are until it’s too late for their victims to run away. Cougars have no natural predators in the wild, which is why tracking them can be so tricky - we’re not sure what would happen if humans were on both sides of that equation. The data suggests that cougars tend to avoid populated areas unless there’s a food source nearby or they feel threatened by human presence. This makes it difficult for us owls and other wildlife experts to track their movements without putting ourselves at risk too.