Utah mountain lion conservation group asking for help finding stolen trail cameras

SANDY, Utah — A mountain lion conservation group is asking for the public’s help after three of its trail cameras were stolen in the last week.

The information they get from the footage helps them better understand these creatures and how to live alongside them, said Denise Peterson, founder of Utah Mountain Lion Conservation.

“It helps us better manage them on the whole and helps us make wise management decisions that affect not only wildlife in Utah, but also people,” she said.

Her curiosity and decades of experience with big cats pushed her to found the group in 2017, which recently became a non-profit.

“There is nothing like seeing a mountain lion family interact on camera in front of you,” Peterson said. “We almost never see them, except for every once in a great while, unless you know where to look.” 

The non-profit has cameras all along the Wasatch Front collecting footage, triggered by movement.

“We are partners on a cougar study that is being conducted by BYU and the Division of Wildlife Resources,” Peterson said. “We are also working on a film about these animals.”

Unfortunately, equipment used to gather film and data from both projects went missing in three undisclosed locations.

”They stole three camera traps, two beam break, triggers, and then two scouting cameras, and they left the spy point there on the ground,” Peterson said.

Peterson suspects someone tracked the group and came back later to steal the cameras.

“They could have seen us going to the location,” she said.

Peterson is disappointed that people would take such important equipment that cost the organization about $20,000.

The organization has set up a GoFundMe* to help purchase new cameras if they are not able to recover them.

“We rely on this. We are a small organization,” Peterson said. “For our organization to recover the cost and rebuild this kit from scratch, it is going to take a long time.”

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.