Discussing the mysterious life of cougars on Thursday's Access Utah

By Tom Williams

Published March 14, 2024 at 11:04 AM MDT

A 5-week-old kitten gazing up at researchers during a physical examination, before receiving a VHF collar and ear tag. — CA11-A, CA11-B, CA11-C

In her recent story on UPR, reporter Colleen Meidt says “Mountain lions are considered the apex predator of the Mountain West. They used to be present across the entire continent but were heavily hunted within the last 200 years. Not as common, these animals are still around Utah, and sightings are on the rise.” She spoke with several experts to uncover the mysterious and misunderstood lives of these animals. Today we’ll continue the conversation with Kristin Engebretsen, who recently received her PhD from the Ecology Center and Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU; and Darren DeBloois, Game Mammals Coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

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Tom Williams

Tom Williams worked as a part-time UPR announcer for a few years and joined Utah Public Radio full-time in 1996. He is a proud graduate of Uintah High School in Vernal and Utah State University (B. A. in Liberal Arts and Master of Business Administration.) He grew up in a family that regularly discussed everything from opera to religion to politics. He is interested in just about everything and loves to engage people in conversation, so you could say he has found the perfect job as host “Access Utah.” He and his wife Becky, live in Logan.

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