‘Wastebook’ biologist defends work with lions

A researcher lampooned by Republican Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma for putting mountain lions on treadmills has said that Coburn's “misinformed” critique will damage wildlife conservation.

In his annual "Wastebook," a compendium of federal spending he and his staff deem unnecessary, Coburn accused Terrie Williams, a biologist working at the University of California, Santa Cruz, of wasting her $850,000 National Science Foundation grant.

But Williams has now vigorously defended her research, which tested a collar for mountain lions that tracks their movement and energy while the lions are walking on treadmills and in the wild, in The Los Angeles Times. She says the treadmill testing was a necessary step in calibrating the collars. And that large animal research is critical at a time when many species are near extinction. She goes on to say that understanding mountain lion behavior will help scientists predict when and where they hunt, which could protect humans, pets and livestock.