This collaboration with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and research teams from the University of California Santa Barbara supports coastal carnivore research in the Dangermond Preserve, California. This project uses conservation detection dogs to locate scat from multiple carnivore species, including mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, and coyotes, enabling detailed diet and presence analyses across coastal and nearshore habitats.

Preliminary observations suggest that mountain lions in the preserve may be preying on pinniped pups along the beach—an uncommon behavior with important ecological implications. Scat collected by detection dogs allows researchers to test this hypothesis through genetic and dietary analysis, helping clarify how large carnivores are using coastal resources and how marine and terrestrial food webs may intersect.

By increasing detection efficiency across rugged coastal terrain, this work supports non-invasive monitoring of elusive carnivores and contributes to a broader understanding of predator diets, habitat use, and ecological interactions in protected coastal landscapes.