How wildlife biologists in Alberta's foothills fit radio collars on baby cougars

They've trekked into some of the most inhospitable terrain in Alberta's foothills, where they're racing against the clock — and the eventual return of a mother cougar — to put radio collars on a litter of her kittens.

It's part of the cougar adaptive management project, which since 2016 has seen Alberta's wildlife biologists collaring the cute but dangerous felines as a way to learn more about them.

"Our intent is to investigate cougar movements, dispersal, survival and reproductive rates," said Delaney Frame, a wildlife biologist with the Alberta government.

"That's where our kitten collaring comes in, is in understanding the survival and reproductive rates of cougars — or mountain lions — in Alberta."

The more data biologists can get about the animals, which are among Alberta's top predators, the more biologists will understand about how they live, move and breed, Frame said.

Biologists gather information from collared adult cougars, including when a mom has set up what Frame calls a "nursery" for her kittens, usually three or four to a litter.

When a nursery is discovered, cameras are set up nearby, allowing biologists to gather information about the mother's cats movements.

When the kittens are between four and six weeks old, biologists head to the nest while the mother cougar is away. The research team also includes graduate students from the University of Alberta, wildlife veterinarians and Royal Alberta Museum staff.

Frame said the team moves the kittens away from the nursery to a location where they have better visibility.

"That's where you get bitten or scratched, reaching into that little tiny den site to grab them for the first time," she said.

To reduce stress on the animals, team members work as quickly as possible to put tiny expandable collars onto the kittens. (The collars, each of which has an antenna, will eventually fall off as the young cougars grow.)

The kittens are weighed and measured. Swabs are taken to check for diseases.

"They look cute and cuddly but they still have claws," Frame said. "They're still afraid of us and their defence is to swat and spit and hiss at you. But at that age we can still handle them safely."

Watch: A Youtube video showing Alberta cougar kittens being collared. It runs about 4 1/2 minutes

The favourite role on the team, she said, "is being a kitten holder."

Meanwhile, the mother's location is being tracked via the antenna on her own collar. Frame said there hasn't yet been an incident where the mother cougar has returned while the team is there. But it's always a worry.

Cougars choose nesting sites that are naturally inhospitable to other predators, such as in the midst of blown-over trees, Frame said.

"It's a little nerve-wracking because you don't have a quick escape," she said. "You're climbing over trees and rocks and to get to this location where she's got her kittens."

She added: "Sometimes she's back within 20 minutes of us leaving."