Dr. Mark Elbroch is a scientist, tracker, writer, and storyteller. His is the lead scientist for the Puma Program at Panthera, a global nonprofit focused on wild cat conservation. Mark’s research on mountain lions is changing what we thought we knew about the species, especially with regards to their social lives and their keystone roles in ecosystems. His work was the central storyline of the BBC film, Big Cats in High Places, and National Geographic’s Wild’s Cougars Undercover.

Mark earned a Senior Tracker Certificate in 2005 in Kruger National Park, South Africa, after successfully following African lions across the terrain without being detected. He was the 17th person to receive one and the first non-African. He has also authored 10 books on natural history, including field guides to animal tracking, animal skulls, survival skills, and his latest, The Cougar Conundrum, which we talk about in this interview.

We cover Mark’s scientific and academic background, his tracking experience, and then spend most of the conversation talking all about mountain lions and how we manage and coexist with them. You can learn more about his work with wild cat conservation at www.panthera.org, and you can peruse his books and scientific publications at www.markelbroch.com.