Eastern Cougar not same as Florida and Western believed extinct

[mike rossi]

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/17/eastern-cougar-extinct-no-longer-needs-protection-says-us-conservation-agency

[Curmudgeon]

The article you referenced makes no mention of how they determined eastern cougars are different. Taxonomy changes have been coming so fast I can't keep up. Splitters vs. Lumpers  - I try to stay out of it.

 

A quick google search did not give me any information more than "A consensus exists among wildlife officials in 21 eastern states that the eastern cougar subspecies has been extirpated from eastern United States." I think we can agree they were extirpated. Were the eastern cougars different enough to rule out reintroducing western cats to replace them?

Edited June 23, 2015 by Curmudgeon

[mike rossi]

you know the answer, the social tolerance prevents that, just like more wolves. I am not sure of the veracity of the article but i think they are saying extinct not extirped,,,, even if another race could be introduced,,,, still lost the eastern per the writer...

[growalot]

Humans....Ma nature will create a "bug" to eradicate us from the world and it will be our just deserts in the end.

[Curmudgeon]

you know the answer, the social tolerance prevents that, just like more wolves. I am not sure of the veracity of the article but i think they are saying extinct not extirped,,,, even if another race could be introduced,,,, still lost the eastern per the writer...

 

Yes, I know why they won't be brought back. Are social reasons somehow behind the article?

 

Getting beyond those species that are controversial, how different are the former eastern elk from western elk. (I've heard red deer and elk are the same species.) Would it be wrong to bring western animals to NY as they did in PA? After several generations there will be selection for those that do well here.

 

In a radically changed eastern environment - one that lost many species and now has many that shouldn't be here - what belongs and what doesn't? Maybe we could find a Eurasian ungulate that eats buckthorn and honeysuckle. It would make my life easier.

 

[mike rossi]

Nah, I am just paraphrasing the FWS's statement about wolf delisting - that further recovery is not possible B/C of social tolerance... 

 

I have no opinion about transplanting animals and havent read much about it, so IDK.... 

 

Will domestic goats eat those? 

[Curmudgeon]

Will domestic goats eat those? 

 

Probably they would eat the leaves if not the woody stuff. I was just being flip. It wouldn't help restore native species to bring in new ones.