• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

US Officials Declare Eastern Cougar Extinct

William Parcher

Show me the monkey!
William Parcher
Joined
Jul 26, 2005
Messages
27,472
This is in spite of a subculture of cryptozoologists and woos who argue that the Eastern Cougar still exists. As with Bigfoot, there are thousands of unsubstanciated sightings and non-confirmatory evidence... sometimes hoaxed.

U.S. officials declare eastern cougar extinct


The eastern cougar, a large and elusive tawny wild cat that once prowled over wilderness in 21 states, is now extinct, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Wednesday.

Experts had long questioned the cougar's existence. Though it has been on the endangered species list since 1973, the animal likely has been extinct since the 1930's, said Dr. Mark McCollough, a senior scientist with the FWS.

Federal researchers had been studying whether the eastern cougar was present in the 21 states where it had a historical range. "(Researchers) found no information to support the existence of the eastern cougar," said Martin Miller, the FWS Northeast head of endangered species.

Since the charity's inception in 1998, years of field work to try to verify eastern cougar sightings have failed to produce a single confirmation, the group said on its website.

Now, the Fish and Wildlife agency is readying a proposal to remove the eastern cougar from the endangered species list, since extinct animals are not eligible for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Click to expand...
 
The article is about the animal known as "Eastern Cougar". It is extinct in all states that it once occured within.

Cougars found in Wisconsin in modern times would be from the West or captive release/escape.
 
I don't think it's really comparable to Bigfoot.

- We know it did exist at one point
- We know a fair bit about how it developed, how it lived, and how/why it died off
- Similar critters (cougars, pumas, mountain lions, etc) are found in relative abundance
 
The similarity is that many people insist that it exists without any functional evidence. There is also a similarity in that people do intentionally hoax evidence for Eastern Cougar.
 
Did they try looking in certain bars in New York. My information suggests they are loaded with cougars
 
MG1962 said:
Did they try looking in certain bars in New York.
Click to expand...

5379da6e.jpg
 
I'm having trouble coming up with anything other than "cool story, bro." Is there a point you wish to make regarding this article?
 
Eastern Cougars and "panthers" have long been a topic of skepticism. You can find discussions about them here on JREF and on cryptozoology sites and forums. The article is significant because the government is officially saying no.
 
This is significant, simply because some have been claiming that a govt cover up was ocurring wrt the E. cougar, because if the govt admitted they existed, it would ruin state's endangered species budget. Cover up cougar's existence, because if it exists, then they must protect it. If it is off of the E.S.ACT, then they do not need to protect it if they admit cougars are in their state.
 
Cleon said:
I don't think it's really comparable to Bigfoot.

- We know it did exist at one point
- We know a fair bit about how it developed, how it lived, and how/why it died off
- Similar critters (cougars, pumas, mountain lions, etc) are found in relative abundance
Click to expand...

More similar to the red panda escapee then : people seeing animals where in reality it is something else.
 
There are missing aircraft nobody has ever found.

So there are still Duck-billed Platypus and Eastern Cougar, passenger pigeon, and etc. all over the place.
 
It's really pretty amazing and unprecedented in modern times. A large North American animal is declared extinct by the government and many hundreds, if not thousands of citizens say they are wrong.

They are saying that the Eastern Cougar is not extinct because: they have seen them or know somebody who has seen them, photographed or filmed them, seen tracks or poop or other sign, killed them or found dead, found evidence of their predation on other animals, etc.

But nobody has produced any confirmatory evidence that the animal is not extinct. That is all it would have taken and yet... nothing.

This Yahoo News article has more information and over 3,500 comments. Many of those comments are folks saying that the Eastern Cougar is not extinct for various reasons. The web is full of forums, blogs and articles with great numbers of people saying the cat isn't extinct.

Ray Sedorchuk, 45, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, said he got an excellent look at a cougar last June in rural Bradford County, in northern Pennsylvania. He was in his truck when a reddish-brown animal with a long tail crossed the road. He said he jammed on the brakes, and the cougar stopped in its tracks.

"I could see the body, the tail and the head, the entire animal, perfectly. It's not a bobcat, it's not a housecat, it's a cougar," he said. "It's a sleek animal. It ran low to the ground and stealth-like. It moved with elegance."

Sedorchuk, a freelance writer who spends copious amounts of time in the woods, said he'd always been skeptical of the eastern cougar's existence, even as two of his friends insisted to him that they had seen them in the wild.

And now?

"I believe that they're here, without even thinking twice about it," he said. "I believe there aren't that many, but there are enough where they can get together and breed."
Click to expand...
 
If they really want to prove that the Eastern Cougar isn't extinct, then I suggest that the next time they see one, they should shoot it and bring in the carcass for examination! :p
 
Moon-Spinner said:
If they really want to prove that the Eastern Cougar isn't extinct, then I suggest that the next time they see one, they should shoot it and bring in the carcass for examination! :p
Click to expand...

It is not endangered anymore, so I guess it is fair game.

Can you get busted for shooting an extinct animal?
 
William Parcher said:
Which of these is not like the others? :D
Click to expand...

You tell me. I have no ego at stake here. I love learning, and being corrected makes me a better person.

So I enjoy being helped - but there isn't any reason to be coy about correcting someone unless you want to relish the idea of keeping them ignorant, or thinking that they are going to squirm because you know something they don't.

Sooo... out with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom