Since cougars don’t exist, we can go ahead and shoot them.
Pasted below is a brief article I published in July 2007. Apparently there are so many lion sightings the USFWS is starting to take notice.
I published this after receiving a news alert from the USFWS.
USFWS Studying Mountain Lion Sightings
Volunteer outdoor enthusiasts have for years reported seeing what appears to be mountain lions while afield, but most of these are determined to be other creatures or perhaps captive animals that have been released into the wild.
Now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a review of scientific and commercial information underway to determine the status of the endangered eastern cougar, the first review by the agency since publishing a recovery plan in 1982. The Service placed the eastern cougar on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 1973.
Although the period for public comment on the agency review has passed, the UFWS is accepting comments on these sightings indefinitely.
“We will compile and evaluate scientific evidence to help us understand the status of the eastern cougar and to determine what future actions the Service should take,” said Martin Miller, chief of endangered species for the Service’s Northeast Region.
As part of the review, the Service is seeking information on the status of the eastern cougar in the 21 states — from Maine to South Carolina and westward from Michigan to Tennessee — where the Endangered Species Act protects it.
Lacking definitive evidence of the species’ existence, the Service has presumed the eastern cougar to be extinct. It is improbable that a small cougar population persisted in the eastern states for over a century.
Most of the confirmed cougar records since 1950 (animals killed, good quality photos/videos, genetic evidence) are known to be escapes of captive origin. There may be thousands of captive cougars in the eastern United States.
“An important part of the Service’s review will be to compile the best available scientific evidence and objectively assess whether the eastern cougar is truly extinct,” said Mark McCollough, endangered species biologist in the Service’s Northeast Region. McCollough and other Service staff will prepare the status review.
Anyone wishing to submit information regarding the eastern cougar may do so by writing to:
Eastern Cougar
Northeast Regional Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035
EasternCougar@fws.gov
For additional information on the eastern cougar, see http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ECougar Information on the Service’s endangered species program may be found at http://www.fws.gov/endangered