Not since 1932 and 1938 in New Brunswick and Maine, respectively, were cougars officially recorded in the northeastern U.S.âat least in terms of breeding populations. With Tolerance, Apex Predators Like Cougars Can Return, Restore Ecosystems . (The de-listing did not impact the subspecies of Florida panthers, a big cat considered to be one of the world's most endangered mammals.). In 2015, the agency inferred that the animal does notneed to be protected under the Endangered Species Act and decided to de-listit. It seems that the last sighting of the eastern cougar occurred in Maine in 1938. The 80-100 wild Florida panthers remain protected wherever they are found, even if they disperse out of Florida into neighboring states. You say that migrants from the west to the eastern US are not protected. Even though reintroduction is now “easier”, I find it inconceivable that any eastern state would actually chose to reintroduce them. Regarding your question 1: Many speculate that the USFWS may switch the listing of the Florida panther to one based upon what is called a “distinct population segment (DPS).” And this is what you are referring to when you rightly point out that the ESA can indeed protect a “population” rather than a subspecies. Around 1,000 cougars are thought to be in captivity in the U.S. and Canada. It is very rare for an Eastern Cougar to attack people or livestock. Wednesday's declaration paves the way for the eastern cougar to be removed from the endangered species list, where it was placed in 1973. "There are even scientists arguing it should be removed for taxonomical error.". The odd thing, though, is that the eastern cougar per se may never have existed. This beautiful wild cat is gravely endangered in the near north of eastern Canada, where it once traveled the rough, hilly and swampy lands surrounded by forest. So it seems that realistically the only way cougars recolonizing the east on their own might get protection is by triggering state ESA laws, where such laws exist. The declaration was met by resignation in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, where Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources, has fielded many inquiries about the Eastern cougar's status in recent decades. Consider the amazing adventure of the dispersing male mountain lion that was killed on a Connecticut highway in 2011—and subsequently became national news and was written up in the book Heart of a Lion. My point is that even a single cat without a territory leaves sign, and a resident breeding population leaves much more. Eastern cougars were declared endangered in 1973, even though the last known records were tied to one killed by a hunter in Maine in 1938 and another in New Brunswick, Canada, in … This classification is a key point for those who support future efforts to re-establish extinct populations of cougars in the Eastern United States. The animals face significant threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, and some down-the-line impacts from hunters killing younger males. Fish and Wildlife Service formally removed the eastern cougar from the endangered species list and declared it to be extinct in 2018. Although the eastern cougar has been on the endangered species list since 1973, its existence has long been questioned. The population in the eastern parts of the United States completely clear. Any recent news of mountain lion sightings in the northeast, and any future confirmations of mountain lions in the northeast, do not justify the existence of the “eastern cougar” as a separate subspecies. I’ve received a lot of worried messages and comments on social media about the recent U.S. In a statement about the de-listing, Robinson called on state governors to come up with local protections for the animals. Three of the over 20 subspecies of the cougar are endangered: the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi), the Costa Rican Puma (Puma concolor costaricensis), and the Eastern Puma (Puma concolor couguar). Unofficially,in 2011, this long-tailed puma subspecies was considered to be extinct by an evaluationconducted by the U.S. In a recently published paper, Elbroch found that cougars are what he calls subordinate predators in the ecosystem, meaning they're carnivores, but also face threats from larger predators like wolves and bears. And to answer a possible question from some one else, should New Hampshire or another eastern state choose to reintroduce mountain lions, they will almost certainly do so with the provision that DPS status cannot be implemented, which would hinder the state from “flexible” management of the reintroduced animals. Why did eastern cougar populations become extinct? These are the North American subspecies of mountain lions returning to where they were extirpated some 70 years ago when wide-scale predator control was commonplace. But the USFWS says that animal is extinct. "It removes all those loopholes and complications of introducing a species where they're listed as endangered," notes Elbroch. Though they are not social animals, they will tolerate each other to mate. Re-introducing federally protected animals, which are monitored closely and have stringent rules about how they are handled and moved, is even more difficult. Taking the eastern pumas off the endangered list will enable eastern states, such as New York, to reintroduce western pumas, also called mountain lions, into the region. The decision, announced Monday, is the result of years of deliberation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently recognizes six subspecies of mountain lions, of which only one—Puma concolor cougar—inhabits North America. "Cougars are very cryptic animals," says Michael Robinson from the environmental advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity. the eastern cougar and the Costa Rica cougar is also in imminent danger. A Species At Risk: The Eastern Cougar Reproductive Data Where Were They Found/Where Did They Live Cougars begin to breed at 2 or 3 years old, every 2 to 3 years at a time, producing 1-6 cubs each time. Even if there was evidence that some of these new migrants were breeding, that is still not evidence of eastern mountain lions. The last records of eastern cougars are believed to be in Maine (1938) … Unlike eastern cougars, Florida panthers dodged extinction, but it was a close call. I’ve received a lot of worried messages and comments on social media about the recent U.S. The agency's decision to declare the eastern cougar extinct does not affect the status of the Florida panther, another endangered wildcat. Western cougars appear secure; the relatively vast amount of wilderness available to them will assure their continued survival. Cougars were once found all over North America. The agency conducted an extensive review of the eastern cougar in 2011, and recommended it be removed from the endangered and threatened species list in 2015, Reuters reported. The U.S. Phylogeny is the science that proposes how animals are related by their evolutionary history. This would be devastating for Florida panther conservation, which is currently led by the U.S. Interesting info about the possible need for genetic discreteness on the FL panther. "[Classification] was based on things like the fur coat of animals and nuanced differences in sizes," says Robinson. In the past 100 years, they haven't been regularly spotted since, and Fish and Wildlife officials say there's no evidence of a sustained, breeding population in the area. A Canadian wildlife group has not made remarks regarding the eastern cougar since 1998; in those comments, serious doubt was expressed regarding the species living anywhere—except, possibly, in Florida. Unlike the other big cats, the cougar cannot roar and purrs like the house cat. Hope that helps! Eastern cougars were declared endangered in 1973, even though the last known records point to one killed by a hunter in the US state of Maine in 1938, and another in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1932. But, much more importantly, the newest science has revealed that there never was an “eastern cougar” subspecies to begin with. The review concludes that the eastern cougar is extinct. The species, also known as pumas, are the genetic cousins of mountain lions in the Western United States and of Florida panthers, which are now found only in the Everglades. Caribou are now an endangered species in Canada and their conservation causes heated debate amongst scientists, industry, and community members. Fish and Wildlife Service. Restored habitat corridors are vital to link these isolated populations. What if migrants establish a breeding population? Likely, if this happens, they will have established breeding populations further west before hand–Illinois then New York then Vermont and then finally New Hampshire. In Alberta, caribou populations were once abundant. The Eastern Cougar is a large predator that is 171-274 cm long. "To know the world is not entirely dominated by humanity is a peace of mind. Fish and Wildlife Service says the eastern cougar used to be found in Michigan, parts of Canada and Maine and farther south. All rights reserved. Removing the eastern cougar from the list of Endangered Species is an important step toward welcoming the species back to the northeast. It was declared extinct by the USFWS (United States Fish and Wildlife Service) in 2011. Eastern cougars — also known as “ghost cats,” catamounts, panthers and, of course, mountain lions — disappeared after decades of overhunting on multiple fronts. Think of phylogentic trees, something most people can remember from school, and the “tree of life” showing how animals evolved and are related to each other. The eastern cougar was a subspecies of the North American cougar. Ghost Cat Gone: Eastern Cougar Officially Declared Extinct. "There is ecological havoc that has been created by deer not having any of their natural predators," he says of the rapidly growing white-tailed deer populations in the East. The Canadian … This is something conservation scientists, advocates, and managers need to monitor closely as the status of Florida panther is reviewed by the U.S. if it is a male and 150-233 cm long if it is a female. In the old days, phylogeny was proposed based upon morphology (the shape, color, and external characteristics of an animal and its skeleton). On June 17, 2015, the Service published a proposed rule ( 80 FR 34595 ) to remove the eastern puma from the List, with a comment period extending through August 17, 2015. or decades, the presence of eastern cougar (Felis concolor couguar) in New Brunswick has been debated among biologists and the public. Tracks of an adult female mountain lion from northwest Wyoming (F72). It is unique. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous conservation scientists agree that delisting the eastern cougar actually makes it easier to reintroduce this top predator in the northeast. Although no breeding population of eastern cougar was known in 1982, Service biologists at that time believed it was possible that the eastern cougar still survived in a few remote areas of its historical range. Eastern cougars lived in any wooded area and had no natural predator. Fish and Wildlife Service. Cougar coloring is plain (hence the Latin concolor) but can vary greatly across individuals and even siblings. This species is so endangered in the Northeast in fact that the U.S. This was done with the authority of 1973’s Endangered Species Act. Some were trapped and killed for their fur while others were culled to prevent the cats from interfering with livestock. This is one point I believe should have been included in the summary at the start of the federal ruling. Thanks for the clarifications! Eastern cougar declared extinct: The taxidermy of the eastern cougar said to have been the last cougar killed in Pennsylvania in 1874. On June 17, 2015, the Service published a proposed rule ( 80 FR 34595 ) to remove the eastern puma from the List, with a comment period extending through August 17, 2015. There are also cougars out west and there’s the Florida panther. Additionally, Robinson adds, he would like to see the species protected for its own sake. The U.S. It’s hard to imagine a state deciding to reintroduce a big scary cat that has been known to attack humans. The FL panther is certainly a distinct population. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced the animal no longer warrants Endangered … The eastern cougar at one time lived over the entire United States and Canada. Overall, cougars are in no danger of extinction. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) conducted a formal review of the available information and, in a report issued today, concludes the eastern cougar is extinct and recommends the subspecies be removed from the endangered species list. Tags: Eastern cougar, endangered species act, extinction, federal ruling, mountain lion, puma. A decline in large predators is thought to be at least partially responsible for growing deer numbers. According to conservation organization the Cougar Fund, all Western states except Texas have at least some protections for cougars. However, not everyone agrees that these cats from eastern North America are extinct. Wednesday's declaration paves the way for the eastern cougar to be removed from the endangered species list, where it was placed in 1973. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency's decision to declare the eastern cougar extinct does not affect the status of the Florida panther, another endangered wildcat. The caveat, however, is that current phylogentics could be used to argue that the Florida panther subspecies, just like the eastern cougar, is not justified either, and that their protective status should be ended as well. People in MA freaked out over a proposal to reintroduce the timber rattlesnake to an island in the Quabbin Res. Mountain lions that disperse eastward from the west were never protected under the Endangered Species Act. But the big cats weren't always so scarce. The coat is typically tawny like that of the lion, which is why it was initially called the "mountain lion", but it otherwise ranges from silvery-grey or reddish with lighter patches on the underbody, including the jaws, chin, and throat. Beginning in the 1800s, European settlers began rounding up and killing off cougars in the northeast. The eastern cougar was listed under the act in 1973. Robinson hopes to see more state-by-state conservation measures enacted to preserve the ecological balance these large predators provide. Deer carry ticks, and the growing threat of lyme disease has been a possible concern. Cougar are increasingly found in habitat patches that have been fragmented by human activities such as highways, ranches and farms. I really admire your work and wish you continued success. WASHINGTON— The U.S. Eastern Puma Officially Declared Extinct, Taken Off Endangered Species List . But advances in genetic testing have since proven that these differently named American cats are genetically the same. It’s official: the eastern cougar is extinct. That’s Not a Good Thing. The words cougar, puma, mountain lion, and catamount all refer to the same large cat, known scientifically as Puma concolor. This is my opinion, of course, which highlights the fact that each of these criteria needs to be interpreted, and how different reviewers might come to different conclusions. And last, some funny wording in the ESA regarding DPS status–is that it “must be used sparingly.” Given the current trend of the current administration with regards to wildlife issues, this might be a tough sell for awhile. The U.S. That brings us to the second criteria for DPS designation, which is “significance” — the Florida panther population is significant as it is the only wild population of mountain lions on the eastern seaboard. Fish and Wildlife Service today confirmed the eastern puma is extinct and removed it from the federal endangered species list. And since it doesn’t exist, the eastern cougar was removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened species. But what we’re talking about here is something called the eastern cougar. 7. Based on comments and information received in response to the delisting proposal, the agency made some changes to the final rule. Endangered to extinct. Eastern cougars, Western mountain lions, the North American cougar, and the Florida panther, for example, were uniquely labelled. However, in recent years, populations have begun to expand into where humans are living, mostly in the western United States. As discussed above, genetic distance will not support DPS listing either. That’s what the U.S. The Cougar is Canada’s largest and most powerful cat. These are migrants from the west, not local mountain lions that survived undetected for the last 70 years. Fish and Wildlife declaration that the “eastern cougar” (or mountain lion, Puma concolor couguar) is extinct, and was therefore being removed from federal endangered species protections. Eastern Cougar: No Longer Endangered. People still won’t let the eastern cougar go, however. The USFWS made it official last year by removing eastern cougars from the endangered species list. This post briefly reviews the challenges facing Alberta’s woodland caribou. When most people come across one in the wild, it's usually by accident. New England has numerous people skilled in interpreting animal tracks and sign, and mountain lions leave considerable sign where they move and kill prey. It was designated endangered in 1978. If you live in an eastern state that is deliberating reintroduction, or if you would like then to consider it as an option, get involved, reach out and contribute your thoughts. [email protected], Two Washington Talks on Mountain Lion Social Behaviors in February, A Perfect Storm: How Multi-Jurisdictional Management Affects Mountain Lions, Eastern Cougar “Extinction” — Some Key Points, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996, Mammal Tracks, 2nd ed. Highway crossings and underpasses are also required to save Cougar living in heavily populated areas such as California and Florida. The eastern cougar is not extinct, it never existed–here is a mountain lion from the west, which genetics confirm is as much an eastern cougar as those cats that historically roamed New England. The eastern puma (=cougar) was originally listed as an endangered species on June 4, 1973 (38 FR 14678). Fish and Wildlife characterized eastern cougars as long extinct. In other words, the eastern cougar was never a separate subspecies, and mountain lions that historically inhabited the northeast of North America were the same subspecies as the mountain lions in Idaho—which are still very much alive. Fish and Wildlife Service today declared the eastern puma extinct and removed it from the list of protected wildlife and plants under the Endangered Species Act. 2. Eastern Puma Declared Extinct, Removed From Endangered Species List . Great questions! Other subspecies of cougar … Animal Tracking, Conservation, Mountain Lions A different subspecies, the Florida panther, is endangered due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Thus, the eastern cougar is not extinct—it never existed. This is just one man’s opinion, of course. "There was never any real justification for giving it that status in the first place," says Mark Elbroch, the lead scientist for the puma program at the big cats conservation group Panthera. There's no doubt that Western cougar populations are heading east. Due to the lack of evidence in the past, biologists are now wondering if there … The eastern puma was a subspecies of the animal also … Fish and Wildlife Service. The eastern cougars were unofficially deemed extinct by a U.S. The U.S. agency first began investigating the population in 2011, and officially recommended removal in 2015. But, further, most people agree this is unlikely. "This will allow states to be in control of that process.". The U.S. No current reintroduction plans are in place, except for Florida, where cougars from Texas have been introduced as a possible way to boost population numbers and diversity for the Florida panther subspecies. The 1982 recovery plan for the eastern cougar aimed to protect what existed of its population, not to reintroduce the subspecies to its historic range. Thus, current and future eastern migrants are unaffected by the new federal ruling—and still protected following the laws of the states in which they move while they are dispersing to seek new territories to call their own. State Wildlife Agencies act on behalf of their public—so let them know how you feel. ", Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James, Nat Geo Image Collection, Eastern Cougars Declared ExtinctâBut That Might Not be Bad, Watch: Cougar Comes Face to Face With Hikers, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/01/north-american-eastern-cougar-mountain-lion-extinct-spd.html, first began investigating the population in 2011, Western cougar populations are heading east. Let’s assume that indeed migrants arrive and establish a breeding population in New Hampshire. Regardless, the eastern cougar will no longer appear on the endangered species list because, whether non-existent from the beginning or now extinct, it … Whether or not this can be really characterized as an extinction, he says, depends on how loosely you use that term. Cougars have a long, complicated history of existence in North America, but conservationists see a future where that's not the case. The white-tailed deer, the primary prey of the cougar, was nearly extinct in eastern North America by the late 1800s. So, physical distance will be the key to DPS listing, which I personally believe is warranted. Once arriving in the east, aren’t cougars then present, and therefore eligible for listing and protection? It is more correct to say that the North American subspecies of mountain lions is locally extinct in the northeast, because there is not a breeding population in this region. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has completed a review of all available information about the eastern cougar, which has been on the endangered species list since 1973. The eastern cougar was placed on the provincial endangered species list, but its status is unknown. Certainly, there are numerous areas that could sustain mountain lions in the northeast. The remaining population of cougars in Florida is federally protected as an Endangered species. He lives in the mountains of New Mexico and says it's thrilling to see one in the wild. "So therefore, reintroductions are good viable alternatives.". The removal of the eastern cougar from the federal endangered species list, however, opens up an extremely controversial possibility. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. The U.S. Some people still argue that mountain lions have existed in hidden pockets in New England for all of these years. Despite wild and popular myth pertaining to sightings of this impressive feline in our region, the surprising fact is that the Eastern Cougar (Puma concolor cougar) has not been seen in the Adirondacks – provably – since the late 1800s. Does it really matter that the FL panther is not a distinct subspecies? In this case, the distance the NH population is from the nearest breeding population is unlikely to support DPS listing. If so, then not protecting the single migrant seems to defeat the intention of the ESA. Conservationists Urge States Like New York to Consider Reintroductions . and the Elusive House Mouse, Reflection on Tracker Evaluations in North America. Before the 19th century, cougars were abundant in this range. Sorry–I’ll try to figure it out. Fish & Wildlife Service The U.S. Unfortunately, as of 2011, eastern cougar numbers were deemed too low for them to continue breeding and so the cat was deemed extinct. Normally, it’s wonderful when an animal is removed from the endangered species list, but not when it’s because the animal has gone completely extinct. I thought the ESA covered endangered “populations”, as well as endangered subspecies and species. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- Fish and Wildlife Service evaluation in 2011. Again, thanks for the additional info. European immigrants killed cougars to protect themselves and their livestock. Yet, even he was documented numerous times on motion-triggered cameras and by experienced woodsmen and women while he traveled. Surprisingly, some scientists say, this removal could be a good thing. 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