Teen Wild About Wildlife

Tanner Saul, an junior, is wild about wildlife as well as for film and photography, and this ambitious 16-year-old has managed to combine his passions to better nature and the environment.

Particularly enthralled with mountain lions, saying they’re “fascinating because they’re elusive,” Saul has taken his interests a step further by tracking the large mammal by using a trail camera primarily used by hunters.

“I mounted the camera on a trail and camouflaged it really well,” he said of his Bushnell Trophy camera with a motion sensor and night vision.

It took about a year to get some worthwhile footage, but Saul has become so in tune with the creature that he can distinguish paw prints, whether they were made with a left or right paw, among others, he said.

A class with the Orange County Trackers has given him a more in-depth understanding of mountain lions. “I was lucky that they let me take the class even if it’s usually given to rangers only,” he said.

The same enthusiasm and energy has caught the attention of the National Park Service (NPS).

“Tanner was very enthusiastic when he came to us about a year ago, and he was monitoring this location where mountain lions have been sighted,” said Jeff Sikich, a biologist with the NPS who has closely worked with the teen.

The images using Saul’s camera have been used by the NPS on their ongoing study of carnivores. The findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals, said the biologist.

“We’ve also been studying bobcats and coyotes, not just mountain lions,” said Sikich. “We’re very interested in what they are eating and how they’re surviving in an urban fragmented landscape.”

Contrary to what most people believe, mountain lions are not dangerous for the most part, said the teenager. “Mountain lion attacks are rare, and I think they’re just as afraid of us as we are of them,” said Saul.

He has never been face-to-face with a mountain lion but came as close as five feet to one before it scampered off.

Taking his avocation beyond high school, Saul said he would like to study wildlife biology in college and become a ranger like Sikich.

In the meantime, Saul has his plate full with internships. He just joined a research team at the Felidae Conservation Fund to help track the movements of mountain lions near the 210 Freeway.

An internship at the LA Zoo is in the works this summer. Saul was also recently featured on as a “Cool Kid” of the week on ABC 7’s Eyewitness News. You can watch the full report here, which includes video footage taken by Saul.

To subscribe to Saul's Youtube channel, click here.