A graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan wants to hear from people who have seen or noticed signs of cougars in their region.

Tammie Windsor says this includes photos, videos, scat, tracks or dead animals from cougar predation.  Over the next two-and-a-half years, Windsor will create a database to analyze population distribution, abundance, habitat selection and other ecological factors.

While there has been quite a bit of research in British Columbia and Alberta, not a lot is known about cougars in Saskatchewan.

“This baseline study could serve as a jumping off point for more technical research once we know the location and abundance of cougars throughout the province,” Windsor said. “This project would link the research together from other provinces on how cougars are utilizing the landscape.”

The Prairie Cougar Research Project is sanctioned and sponsored by the University of Saskatchewan Department of Biology’s Animal Population Ecology Lab.

To report evidence of a cougar sighting within Saskatchewan, please contact Tammie Windsor at sk.cougars@usask.ca or 306-713-3639. You can also fill out a survey here.

CJWW Agriculture Director Neil Billinger interviewed Tammie Windsor and you can listen to the conversation below.

(above photo: courtesy of the University of Saskatchewan)