ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP)—After years of review, the US Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday declared the eastern cougar to be extinct. Also called puma, panther, mountain lion, catamount, and ghost cat, the cougar no longer has a breeding population in eastern United States.
Called ghost cat because of its elusiveness, there were only 108 confirmed sightings of cougars in the northeast between 1900 and 2010. These cats were not likely part of a healthy breeding population, but animals released from captivity or the result of migration. The wildlife service and private groups like the Eastern Cougar Foundation insist that if the cats were breading, they would have evidence of cub tracks and sightings of them on the thousands of cameras along forest trails.
Outdoorsman and hunters have long defended the existence of the cougars believing that the cats are simply going undetected. Avid hunter and freelance writer Ray Sedorchuk once sided with science in doubting the presence of ghost cats until one walked in front of his truck in northern Pennsylvania. He now believes that though limited, there are enough cougars to breed.
In the last century, cougars were hunted in great numbers for prize money. The cougar population was further diminished by devastating declines in the white-tailed deer population.
The wildlife service does not have the authority to reintroduce the cougars. The animal will now be removed from the endangered species list where it’s been since 1973.
