General Discussion

CatWoman

(79,302 posts) Sun Jan 28, 2018, 09:50 PM Jan 2018

This hurts my heart

The Eastern cougar has officially been declared extinct

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/eastern-cougar-officially-declared-extinct

22 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

This hurts my heart (Original Post) CatWoman Jan 2018 OP

Mountain Lions are the most beautiful animal in the West, IMO hlthe2b Jan 2018 #1

You're kidding me Ohiogal Jan 2018 #2

Very Sad! lastlib Jan 2018 #3

Mine too ☹️ Snackshack Jan 2018 #4

Crying for our planet Pachamama Jan 2018 #5

It was last confirmed in 1938. LeftInTX Jan 2018 #6

There are western cougars that have made their way east Liberty Belle Jan 2018 #22

Rest in peace shenmue Jan 2018 #7

Shit. shit shit shit shit shit. raven mad Jan 2018 #8

Are you sure this does not take into account the ones in captivity. A lot of people in FL Maraya1969 Jan 2018 #9

Panthers, mountain lions, courgars, catamounts and pumas are all the same animal brush Jan 2018 #12

That is interesting gabeana Jan 2018 #16

No No NO... Useless in FL Jan 2018 #10

Nice job humanity. Which species are you going to wipe out to extinction next? democratisphere Jan 2018 #11

Republicans. n/t Mr.Bill Jan 2018 #14

We can hope! democratisphere Jan 2018 #17

They could introduce the Western cougar AnotherDreamWeaver Jan 2018 #13

I have lost precious pets to them over the years as well... alittlelark Jan 2018 #19

Another beautiful creature gone. Freedomofspeech Jan 2018 #15

Y'all, this is more a housekeeping/policy matter than anything. WhiskeyGrinder Jan 2018 #18

Yep. I guess many people dont bother reading writerJT Jan 2018 #21

Damn damn damn. Damn. They're ruining the earth. Honeycombe8 Jan 2018 #20

hlthe2b

(102,292 posts)

1. Mountain Lions are the most beautiful animal in the West, IMO

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 09:54 PM

Jan 2018

I can only hope the same fate does not befall them (even though my previous dog and I came oh so close to a direct conflict with one on a public trail a few years back).

Ohiogal

(32,005 posts)

2. You're kidding me

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 09:55 PM

Jan 2018

😥😥😥

lastlib

(23,244 posts)

3. Very Sad!

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 09:55 PM

Jan 2018

Heartbreaking what we are doing to our planet and its denizens in our mindless quest for profit$$!

Thanks for posting this, CatWoman!

Snackshack

(2,541 posts)

4. Mine too ☹️

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 09:56 PM

Jan 2018

Pachamama

(16,887 posts)

5. Crying for our planet

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 09:56 PM

Jan 2018

LeftInTX

(25,370 posts)

6. It was last confirmed in 1938.

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:02 PM

Jan 2018

I think many "sightings" were probably bobcats.

Liberty Belle

(9,535 posts)

22. There are western cougars that have made their way east

Reply to LeftInTX (Reply #6)

Mon Jan 29, 2018, 12:26 AM

Jan 2018

being sighted on occasion; different species from the eastern variety that's not been seen in many decades.

shenmue

(38,506 posts)

7. Rest in peace

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:02 PM

Jan 2018

raven mad

(4,940 posts)

8. Shit. shit shit shit shit shit.

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:03 PM

Jan 2018

Pardon, but some of our cats here are on "the list" and we still sell tours and tickets to outsiders to come hunt.

Maraya1969

(22,483 posts)

9. Are you sure this does not take into account the ones in captivity. A lot of people in FL

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:11 PM

Jan 2018

and probably Texas have panthers, (don't know what the difference is) in personal captivity and also in shelters.

I happen to know because I volunteered at one here in FL and found out about several others in the process, just around here.

Maybe they could do some breeding thing like they did with the pandas in China

brush

(53,787 posts)

12. Panthers, mountain lions, courgars, catamounts and pumas are all the same animal

Reply to Maraya1969 (Reply #9)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:25 PM

Jan 2018

What surprised me is they're more related genetically to house cats than the African big cats.

gabeana

(3,166 posts)

16. That is interesting

Reply to brush (Reply #12)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:38 PM

Jan 2018

I always look at my cat and think they resemble panthers, the sleekness and muscle tone

Useless in FL

(329 posts)

10. No No NO...

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:18 PM

Jan 2018

My heart is bleeding....

democratisphere

(17,235 posts)

11. Nice job humanity. Which species are you going to wipe out to extinction next?

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:20 PM

Jan 2018

Mr.Bill

(24,302 posts)

14. Republicans. n/t

Reply to democratisphere (Reply #11)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:30 PM

Jan 2018

democratisphere

(17,235 posts)

17. We can hope!

Reply to Mr.Bill (Reply #14)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:38 PM

Jan 2018

AnotherDreamWeaver

(2,850 posts)

13. They could introduce the Western cougar

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:28 PM

Jan 2018

We have a lot. One came and killed 2 goats and 5 sheep at my place, only ate a rear leg on one of the goats. A trapper came and confirmed a Mt. Lion, but we didn't have him turn his dogs loose. Coyote has been my trouble the last couple of years. My ewes have all lambed and I hope I can keep them this year.

alittlelark

(18,890 posts)

19. I have lost precious pets to them over the years as well...

Reply to AnotherDreamWeaver (Reply #13)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 11:07 PM

Jan 2018

........

Freedomofspeech

(4,226 posts)

15. Another beautiful creature gone.

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:34 PM

Jan 2018

Heartbreaking.

WhiskeyGrinder

(22,357 posts)

18. Y'all, this is more a housekeeping/policy matter than anything.

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 10:41 PM

Jan 2018

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/north-american-eastern-cougar-mountain-lion-extinct-spd/

In a statement about the removal, U.S. Fish and Wildlife characterized eastern cougars as long extinct.

"There was never any real justification for giving it that status in the first place," says Mark Elbroch, the lead scientist for the puma program at the big cats conservation group Panthera. "There are even scientists arguing it should be removed for taxonomical error."

Whether or not this can be really characterized as an extinction, he says, depends on how loosely you use that term. While cougar populations in this region have declined to the point of non-existence, it's more accurate to say only a certain population of the North American cougar species overall has vanished.

(The de-listing did not impact the subspecies of Florida panthers, a big cat considered to be one of the world's most endangered mammals.)

writerJT

(190 posts)

21. Yep. I guess many people dont bother reading

Reply to WhiskeyGrinder (Reply #18)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 11:40 PM

Jan 2018

stories anymore before reacting emotionally. This was right there in the link:

This doesn't mean the end of big cats in the eastern part of the country, however. According to Outside, pockets of other members of the species have begun to thrive in the midwestern U.S. and are slowly pushing east, past the Mississippi.

In fact, the Center for Biological Diversity, seeing a bright spot in the depressing headline, praised the delisting of the eastern cougar as a way for states to introduce western cougars, like the one pictured above, into new habitats.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)

20. Damn damn damn. Damn. They're ruining the earth.

Reply to CatWoman (Original post)

Sun Jan 28, 2018, 11:30 PM

Jan 2018

Eventually there will be nothing left that doesn't live in human farms and exhibits...with nothing but concrete and office buildings and small green areas. Trumpville.

Reply to this discussion