"The Eastern Cougar"

The morning mountain air filled my lungs, as I hiked along the trail. A burst of purple caught my eye. It was the state flower of Colorado, the Columbine. I knelt down for a closer look. As I did, a tremor ran through me; something wasn’t right. A gentle breeze stirred the trees. I thought maybe a cold front was moving in, and it was time to head back. But as I turned to go, I saw a flash of movement, a mountain lion! I couldn’t believe my luck. Many people never even catch a glimpse of a mountain lion in the wild.

The mountain lion (Puma concolor), has received a plurality of names, as few other mammals: cougar, panther, painter, Indian devil, deer tiger, catamount, wildcat, and puma, as well as hundreds of Native American names to correspond with the diversity of their culture. When European settlers first reached the shores of North America, Eastern cougars were plentiful, ranging up and down the coast of the present-day America. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the large, feline predator of the Americas had gone the way of the American Bison and the Timber Wolf.

I became interested in the Eastern cougar after watching Kerry Gyekis’s interesting and informative presentation on the big cats. Kerry is a forester and author and has given this talk all over Pennsylvania. Is the Eastern cougar gone? Are there still small breeding pockets, or are they only escaped pets? And can the Eastern Cougar come back from the edge of extinction if he is here? The Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, and New Evidence, edited by Chris Bolgiano and Jerry Roberts, seeks to answer theses questions-a book that Kerry recommends.

This anthology brings together accounts from early explorers and present-day researchers, considers the evidence in the wild cougar controversy, and examines the social and environmental implications of recovery. The book is divided into three parts.

The first part contains historical references and settlers’ interactions with the cougar, as well as just what an Eastern cougar actually is. Many settlers mistook the large cat of the New World for the African lion. The cougar has the largest range of any large cat, and though the cougar is usually lumped in with the larger cat species, the cougar is distinct in that it cannot roar, and makes vocalizations much more common to small cats. Thus giving some credence to my cat’s claim of being a cougar.

The second part of the book covers the evidence of the reappearance of the cougar from eye sightings, tracks, scat and even DNA samples. Do many eye witnesses prove cougars are here, or is more scientific evidence required? One of the great things about this book is that the reader doesn’t need advanced degree in biology, zoology, or any other scientific study to understand, appreciate, and learn from this book. Even the most intimidating article title, "Genetic Variation, Gene Flow, and Population Identification for North American Pumas" by the premier cougar DNA research expert Melanie Culver, has been written in terms laymen can understand.

The third part discusses whether the Eastern cougar can make a comeback. Unassisted recolonization by a large predator is unusual. Can cougars successfully reestablish viable, long term breeding populations in the East? The answer is a tangled web of biological, legal, environmental and even social issues. The 9-page essay by Dr. David Maehr's, entitled “Can the Florida Panther Provide Insight Into Restoring the Eastern Cougar?” This is a very balanced piece, which seems both skeptical and hopeful at the same time. Dr. Maehr briefly discusses some of the more complex issues and helps put the whole subject into perspective.

So, is this great native cat of America still in existence? The saying goes, “extinct is forever”. I certainly hope to be able to see a cougar in the East one day. If this feline predator were to fade into the mists of history, I feel we would lose something of what we are, that little piece of wildness that feeds our spirit and dreams. I personally feel that the Eastern cougar is alive and well, if only in our hearts and imagination and not the deep woods…

Kevin Coolidge