 Conservation threats to the species include persecution as a pest animal , environmental degradation and habitat fragmentation , and depletion of their prey base . Wildlife corridors and sufficient range areas are critical to the <unk> of cougar populations . Research <unk> have shown that the animal faces a low extinction risk in areas of <unk> km2 ( 850 sq mi ) or more . As few as one to four new animals entering a population per decade markedly increases persistence , <unk> the importance of habitat corridors . 
