Scientists capture emotional footage of predator returning to fire-ravaged forest: 'Means everything to me'
The Eaton Fire that ripped through the Los Angeles area in January devastated the region, causing wildlife to flee and leaving the landscape barren and burned. But researchers in the area are getting their first signs of hope that things might be getting better.
According to LAist, UCLA psychiatry professor Kristen Ochoa and a team of volunteers and biology researchers used trail cameras set up in the Altadena Foothills to see mountain lions returning to the area for the first time since the blaze.
Ochoa and her team have used the cameras as a valuable tool in monitoring the regrowth of the foothills along the Chaney Trail Corridor. It began within a few days, as rain brought vegetation back to life.
"The coyotes and the ravens were there right away," Ochoa told LAist. "Then with time, we've seen some green come back. There's crown sprouting on a lot of the trees. There's elderberry coming back. There's black sage coming back."
From there, more and more wildlife began to show up, and on March 26, Ochoa and her team saw a mountain lion on the cameras. A week later, a female with two juvenile mountain lions in tow appeared as well.
Why is this a big deal? A number of reasons. First of all, mountain lions are elusive creatures by nature; they tend not to make many appearances, and even hunt via stealth rather than brute strength.
On top of that, mountain lions are apex predators. Their return to a region after a devastating fire is a sign that that area is healing, as there's now enough prey in the area to support it.
"That mountain lion means everything to me," Ochoa said. "Nature is resilient and, for me, it helps me feel resilient as well. Honestly, I really wanted to share it with everybody who has struggled during this fire so they can feel the same feeling of hope and elation that the lion is back."
Ochoa shared her findings first with the native Tongva tribe in the area, to whom mountain lions are sacred, and after getting their blessing, shared it with the world.
She hopes that their finding will allow the area to continue to be conserved, even after it's sold.
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" I think that in these sorts of spaces — the urban-wild interface — it's really important if we have a chance to keep it open, to allow the wildlife to move around," Ochoa said.
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