The roar of three lions heard at close range, let me tell you, is an imposing sound: high in decibels but throaty and rough, as though scraped up from a deep iron bin of primordial power and ...

Lions, though, are not to blame. Wendy Keefover is a contributor to Writers on the Range (writersontherange.org), an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring conversation about the West.

The fate of the wild cat hangs in a delicate balance. A robust birth rate fuels hope but rising unnatural deaths indicate a fragile coexistence with humans ...