Friday, March 18, 2011

Federal researchers declare eastern cougar extinct

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The "ghost cat" is just that.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday declared the eastern cougar to be extinct, confirming a widely held belief among wildlife biologists that native populations of the big cat were wiped out by man a century ago.

After a lengthy review, federal officials concluded there are no breeding populations of cougars — also known as pumas, panthers, mountain lions and catamounts — in the eastern United States. Researchers believe the eastern cougar subspecies has probably been extinct since the 1930s.

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For more on eastern cougars in general: Click Here.

1 comment:

  1. One was caught on video camera in Green County, Kentucky just about three years ago. It was in the local newspaper and everything. My mom also saw a panther when she was a little girl [1950s]. She lived in a wooded area of Adair County, Kentucky. Her brother saw it, too. It walked across a dirt lane right in front of the them.

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