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Introduction |
Cougars in the Maritimes:
Fact or Fiction? by Kevin MacDonell
One of four adult western cougars at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Nova Scotia. This animal is nearly genetically identical to the eastern cougar (Dept. of Natural Resources Photo). names. In places throughout the length and breadth of the Americas, people know him as panther, catamount, cougar, mountain lion, and by dozens of other names. Today, except for the mountain lions of western North America and a handful of animals in Florida, these eight-foot-long cats with long tails are almost certainly gone forever. But strangely, hundreds of people in eastern North
America -- including the Maritimes -- have claimed to have seen cougars. Reports of
sightings have increased in the last 20 years, yet there is a maddening lack of physical
evidence. The eastern cougar was wiped out by
European settlers. Yet cougar reports in the Maritimes have increased dramatically in the
last 20 years. What's going on? Most cougar reports are false,
biologists say. Even credible reports are An updated status report on the
eastern cougar will soon be made public. The eastern cougar has been pushed off the
endangered species list. Why? People who believe there are cougars
here say they know where the big cats are coming from. But not all the evidence is in. Opinions are mixed on whether we
should protect cougars and preserve Some suggested cougar links. Join a discussion forum on the eastern cougar.
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Not so long ago, big
cats once roamed the woods of eastern North America. Some native peoples called him
Klandagi, or Lord of the Forest, but he has had many
