Less than a month after a 55-year-old Pinos Altos man was killed by a mountain lion near his home in Southwestern New Mexico, an animal advocacy group is holding free statewide presentations on the habits of the cat, also known as cougar, puma or panther.

The first of the events by Animal Protection of New Mexico is tonight at 7:30 in the Community Room of O’Neill’s Pub, 3211 Central NE, Albuquerque.

Presentations follow on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Taos Convention Center; at 7 p.m. Monday, July 14 at Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras; at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15 at the Ruidoso Senior Center; and Wednesday, July 16 at the Santa Fe Downtown Library.

APNM says the presentation will cover the natural history of the animals, how their populations are managed and how to "successfully co-exist with this large native carnivore."

A sample of the information on its Web site:
 

A female cat spends approximately 70 percent of her lifetime raising young. Born year-round, with births peaking in the summer and fall months, kittens are totally dependent upon their mothers for their first nine months, but typically spend between 10 and 18 months learning survival skills from their mother.

Common sense precautions, such as traveling in groups and always keeping children within arm’s reach while recreating in cougar country, can eliminate potential human-cougar conflicts.

Wildlife officials tracked and killed two mountain lions implicated in the June 17 death of the Pinos Altos resident.

An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 mountain lions live in New Mexico, according to the N.M. Department of Game and Fish.