The Eastern Cougar Is No More
It is with a heavy heart that the animal community said goodbye to Puma concolor cougar, the Eastern Cougar. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared this week that the big cat who scoured up and down the East Coast is officially extinct. An investigation launched in 2011 revealed that the creature has not been seen in the wild for roughly 80 years. It is believed the last Eastern Cougar was hunted in Maine right before World War II. With only an 8 year life span, these beautiful brown beasts of the east were in danger since 1973. Decades later, in 2015, it was declared that there was no viable Eastern Cougar population left on this planet. Before extinction, this feline adapted over the years to live in many terrains, including the mountains and forests; as well as many different climates, including our own here in New England. Their distinct red-brown or gray-brown fur glimmered on their elegant frame that could grow upwards of 8ft and weigh up to 140 pounds.
Life must perpetually go on in the animal kingdom. This extinction will only pave the way for a new rift in the food chain. Previously, Eastern states were not allowed to reintroduce Western wildlife into its domain. Now that the Eastern Cougar is gone these states may change this ruling in order to keep the deer and tick population under control. Lyme and other tick borne diseases would become more widespread and ramped with an uncontrolled deer population. Along with limiting these communicable diseases, keeping the deer population low would also reduce automobile collisions with Bambi. A recent study showed that if pumas, a Western big cat, were reintroduced to all states it would save $2.12 billion. Think of all the equipment you could buy from your friends at The Lab World Group!
