Led by SEFS Associate Professor Laura Prugh, new research published the journal Science shows that in Washington state, the presence of apex predators like wolves and cougars can push coyotes and bobcats into areas with higher levels of human activity. The team, made up of researchers at the University of Washington, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Spokane Tribe of Indians, found that these smaller predators were more than three times as likely to die from human activity, like hunting or trapping, than by the apex predators they were moving away from.
The study sheds light on the impact of human-wildlife interactions and how interactions among species are changing. Former UW postdoctoral researcher Calum Cunningham, SEFS Research Analyst Lead Taylor Ganz, and SEFS Professor Aaron Wirsing are co-authors on the publication.