Chris Bolgiano
In Texas, Puma concolor (mountain lion, cougar, puma, panther) is still a ``varmint''; no laws govern its killing. Elsewhere, hunting is tightly regulated, and California bans sport hunting of the genus. Mountain lions are not officially listed as endangered in the West. Bolgiano, a freelance writer specializing in wildlife and forestry, gives a compelling account of the interaction between lions and people from precolonial times to the present. She hunts lions (with her camera) in Utah and accompanies wildlife biologists who study lions in Wyoming and New Mexico. In both sport hunting and research, lions are tracked by dogs (except in the desert, where trackers use snares). Bolgiano notes that biological data are sparse and local. Among the topics she covers are sightings in the East, attacks on humans (rare) and the captive breeding and reintroduction of the Florida panther. This is instructive reading for wildlife and wilderness enthusiasts. (Aug.)
Mountain lion, puma, cougar, panther: all are names given to the New World's own big cat, which ranges from Canada to Patagonia and is powerful both physically and in its ability to embed itself in the myths and legends of every culture it encounters. Writing from a cultural perspective, Bolgiano, author of numerous wildlife articles, traces the big cat's interactions with humans in North America, thus the (questionable) use of "unnatural history" in the title. She describes the range of human reaction to the puma, from the respect and reverence of Native Americans to the hatred of ranchers to the current fascination with the cat as the symbol of the wilderness. Bolgiano also covers the attempts to restore the endangered Florida panther, the meaning of the frequent cougar sightings in the Northeast, and her excursion into the life of a professional puma hunter. This sometimes sad, always fascinating book is graced by Bolgiano's clear, melodious prose. Highly recommended for libraries of all levels.‘Lynn C. Badger, Univ. of Florida Lib., Gainesville
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