Walter Boyce DVM, PhD, is professor and executive director of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center. A wildlife veterinarian and research scientist, he has studied wild animals and their interactions with people for more than 25 years. He has published over 90 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals on animals ranging from tapeworms and Africanized bees to alligators, bighorn sheep and mountain lions. He frequently consults with state, federal and international wildlife agencies, and has served on federal endangered species recovery teams.

Walter has studied pumas in southern California for over 15 years. Since 2000, he has led a study of more than 40 cougars using GPS radio collars that allow his team to evaluate the interactions between pumas, people and other wild animals like bighorn sheep. His work has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and television. Since 2004, he has appeared on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, CNN, and Deborah Norville on MSNBC. Stories have appeared in over 100 newspapers and he has been interviewed in Time Magazine, National Geographic Explorer, and Sports Illustrated Adventurer.