Lions, Tigres and Bears

That’s not a typo. Tigres, which is Mexican slang for jaguars, do roam southeastern Arizona. So do mountain lions and bears. Closer to Tucson, such “urban wildlife” as bobcats, coyotes and javelina abound, sometimes within the city limits and to the dismay of newcomers.  The Arizona Game and Fish Department is responsible for managing the state’s wildlife in trust for citizens.  How to best do that poses some unique challenges in greater Tucson, a hotbed of environmental activism while at the same time a community that retains many traditional values of the Old West.  Walking the fine line between the two is Game and Fish’s Tucson office, one of only two in the state with a full-time Urban Wildlife Specialist.   A jaguar in the Santa Ritas, bighorn sheep in the Catalinas, and protestors on the outskirts of town all figure into this presentation about living with urban wildlife, the four-legged and sometimes, the two-legged.

 

 

Mark Hart is a public information officer with the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Tucson.  He serves as department spokesman for southeastern Arizona news media, and manages information and education programs throughout the region. Hart joined the department in 2009, and also serves as a public information officer for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.  In addition, he is an agency representative to the federal Borderlands Management Task Force.  Hart, a contributor to the Arizona Daily Star and a Best of Gannett award recipient, earned a bachelor’s degree with high honors from Loyola University of Chicago in 1981.