Listening to Cougar

by Bekoff, Marc

• ISBN13: 9780870818943
• ISBN10: 0870818945
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-15
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Colorado

Summary

This spellbinding tribute to Puma concolor honors the big cat's presence on the land and in our psyches. In some essays, the puma appears front and center: a lion leaps over Rick Bass's feet, hurtles off a cliff in front of J. Frank Dobie, gazes at Julia Corbett when she opens her eyes after an outdoor meditation, emerges from the fog close enough for poet Gary Gildner to touch. Marc Bekoff opens his car door for a dog that turns out to be a lion. Other works evoke lions indirectly. Biologists describe aspects of cougar ecology, such as its rugged habitat and how males struggle to claim territory. Conservationists relate the political history of America's greatest cat. Short stories and essays consider lions' significance to people, reflecting on accidental encounters, dreams, Navajo beliefs, guided hunts, and how vital mountain lions are to people as symbols of power and wildness.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introducing Cougar	p. 1
In Absentia	p. 15
The Growl	p. 21
Lion Markers	p. 29
Border Cat	p. 43
A Puma's Journey	p. 47
To Cry for Vision	p. 57
Closer	p. 63
Sanctuary	p. 67
Talking With a Cougar	p. 83
The Sacred Cat: The Role of the Mountain Lion in Navajo Mythology and Traditional Lifeway	p. 91
Lion Story	p. 105
South Dakota Cougar	p. 111
My Bush Soul, the Mountain Lion	p. 115
Lion Heart	p. 127
A Lion, a Fox, and a Funeral	p. 131
Hunting at Night	p. 137
A Short, Unnatural History	p. 153
The Shifting Light of Shadows	p. 157
Drought	p. 167
Cougar Country Safety Tips	p. 173
Deaths By Cougar Attack, 1890-Present	p. 176
Cougars Killed by Humans, 1900-2000	p. 185
Mapping Values: Cougars and the Perspectives of Human Stakeholders	p. 186
Organizations and Related Web Sites	p. 190
For Further Reading	p. 191
Biographical Notes	p. 193
Permissions and Sources	p. 199
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