The Great Cougar Cover Up (Illinois, Michigan)

WLS-TV/DT ^ | May 21, 2008 | Chuck Goudie

[girlangler]

“Bet if I notify them that I have shot one they will respond.”

In a New York minute.

How can you shoot one if they don’t exist (LOL)?

[jazusamo]

Sounds like the possibility of Eastern cougars is a real one. Cougars are not something one sees often in their natural habitat, they are extremely elusive. Some people obviously wouldn’t know a cougar from a bobcat or even cayote but that would not account for the majority of sightings.

If the USFWS is starting to take notice it’s a good bet that they do exist, IMO.

[DoorGunner]

>> “He says state officials didn’t want to pay the costs of managing a new endangered species...”<<

“ENDANGERED SPECIES”

Considering that California, Oregon, and Washington have more than PLENTY of cougars, making the “Eastern cougar” an endangered species s a serious bad thing.

1. Making a large predator which can and does kill and eat humans, not to mention livestock, is a serious mistake.

2. It will become a major crime, to kill, hit, or even shout at, a cougar, even if it is eating your calf (or thigh!).

3. You will not be allowed to do anything anywhere near where a cougar might live. If you think this is an exaggeration, you need only consider the pseudo-endangered Spotty Owl.

See no cougar, hear no cougar, speak no cougar. Or you will regret it.

DG

[B4Ranch]

Western Tennessee is becoming quite the unreal spot for zoology. Gators and armidillos, no less. Wow! How in the hell would gators get up in that back country? Folks bringing them home from visits to Florida, you reckon?

[girlangler]

LOL. All kinds of critters are making their way to God's Country: See An Armadillo, Turn It In It used to rare to see a coyote in Tennessee. Now there is a liberal hunting season on this non-native species. Turns out now there may be another new animal, typically found in the western U.S., calling Tennessee home. Lee Griggs, an undergraduate senior at Belmont University researched the exotic and possibly invasive animal species as part of his research class at Belmont last summer. Griggs talked to many people and decided to research the rare and fairly unfamiliar Nine banded armadillo, according to officials with the Tennessee Wildlfie Resources Agency. A few people had spotted the armadillo in different areas such as near I-40, on Highway 100, Belle Meade Blvd., and even downtown Nashville. Armadillos are so rare in Middle Tennessee that many zoologists, environmental professionals, etc. know only a little about the strange creatures, and about how many are here. "Lee decided to hopefully set the foundation for further research or knowledge about these animals by asking the question, 'How prevalent are the armadillos in Middle Tennessee and to what extent,'" said TWRA officials. Griggs also is planned to set up a recorded database of armadillo sightings to help learn about where they could be researched in the future. TWRA officials said persons can e-mail Lee regarding any sightings griggsa@pop.belmont.edu and he will enter the information in the database. His plan was to gather valuable results from July through December 2005. Most sightings to this point have been in areas of Warner Parks, near water, since they seem to be found there more often. The armadillo has become well established in many southern states; it is even the state mammal of Texas. They are best known for being roadkill as well as digging up people's gardens, but Lee believes that knowing more about them now will help in controlling/monitoring them in the future. Most importantly, he hopes the information derived from his project will be informative and helpful to various wildlife agencies in managing these animals as they progress into Middle Tennessee, said TWRA. Does Tennessee Have An Alligator Population? Surrounding states like Mississippi and Georgia have established alligator seasons the past few years, and Alabama wildlife officials are considering one. Arkansas has reintroduced the animals, and officials there hope to have a hunting season someday. Here in Tennessee alligator sightings are becoming more frequent around the Memphis area, making one wonder if there might one day be an established population here in the Volunteer State. News reports from Memphis television stations have described recent sightings of alligators near the Mississippi River and McKeller Lake. According to TWRA officials there have been about five alligator sightings around these areas, the first reported last April. They have confirmed two sightings, one about 6 1/2 feet long, the other about five 1/2 feet. Alan Peterson, TWRA wildlife biologist said officials have expected alligators would show up in Tennessee, since the state of Arkansas released these in a federal refuge several years ago. He said officials knew it would be just a matter of time until the reptiles made it here.

[girlangler]

Yikes!!! What happened to my paragraphs?

[Straight Vermonter]

Around here they are called catamounts.

Go Cats!

[Mad-Margaret]

When I saw the headline and I saw the story was on the Michigan ping, I too thought of the car. Really! I thought we were gonna get details about another Ford Motor Company screw up.

When the woman who shot the video showed it to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, officials told her they were common house cats.

Maybe it was swamp gas.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks grellis.

Google

[B4Ranch]

I have seen a lot of the changes caused from Katrina but when hard headed critters such as armadillos and gators decide that it was too big a blow to ever have go through again that really gives me reason to respect hurricanes like never before. Yes’um, they is right up there at the top with earthquakes and tornados now, at least in my book.

[B4Ranch]

Should you ever shoot one, please Dear Lady, save yourself a whole wagonload of hassle and carry the secret with you to Heaven when you go.

[girlangler]

I tell ya, the world is upside down. We now have tornados in Colorado.

And to beat it all, them cobras have “crossed the waters” and are now in N.C. (grin)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2019305/posts

[Free Vulcan]

I know someone who’s seen a wolf in s. central iowa.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Since they are only looking for Eastern Cougars as far south as South Carolina, I guess that our Florida Cougars are a different species.

[jazusamo]

Well I don’t know for a fact but I’ve read that cougars are all basically the same. They’re referred to by different names and in this case I believe the Eastern is just the area they’re in.