Cougars (also called mountain lions or pumas) are one of North America’s most elusive apex predators. As solitary hunters, they play a critical role in regulating deer and ungulate populations, maintaining forest health, and shaping entire ecosystems.
Yet despite their ecological importance, cougars are often treated as “problem wildlife.” In Alberta and other provinces, they are managed through trophy hunting and trapping quotas rather than science-based conservation. This has left cougars vulnerable to overharvesting, persecution, and outdated management practices that fail to reflect modern public values.
Research & Monitoring | Through our Community Trail Camera Program, the images and videos we capture help us document cougar behaviour, distribution, and family dynamics, challenging myths and fostering empathy.
Explore the Trail Camera Program →Education & Coexistence | Our Cougar Knowledgebase reframes how the public sees these cats: not as threats, but as elusive neighbours who can be safely respected in shared landscapes.
Learn More About Cougars →Advocacy & Policy Reform | We are working to end outdated and inhumane cougar management policies by:
We will release a comprehensive Cougar Conservation Report, modeled after our Recovering Alberta’s Grizzly Bears report. This will provide policymakers, scientists, and the public with data-driven recommendations for reforming cougar management in Alberta and beyond.
Sign up for updates →We envision a future where cougars are respected as vital components of Western Canada’s ecosystems, where they are no longer hunted as trophies, but safeguarded through science-based policies and coexistence education.
Together, we can give cougars the voice they deserve.
Interested in learning about cougars? We have a free, extensive, and easy-to-follow educational library on cougars. From the way they look to where they live to how to coexist with them safely and everything in between, the Cougar Series will answer all the questions you may have about Canada's mountain lions. Head to the Cougar Series now to learn about this elusive and mysterious feline.
