Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Eastern Cougar will be officially listed as extinct — almost 80 years after last sighting

The last of the species was last spotted in North America in 1938

Zachary Davies Boren
Saturday 20 June 2015 08:45 BST
Comments
The Eastern Cougar was largely wiped out in the 19th century by European immigrants (CC)
The Eastern Cougar was largely wiped out in the 19th century by European immigrants (CC) (Creative Commons)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Nearly 80 years after it was last seen, the eastern cougar will be officially recognised by US conservation authorities as 'extinct'.

Following a four-year review, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will next month remove the eastern cougar from its list of endangered and threatened species — where it has been for the last 43 years.

The big cat, which once roamed North America from Canada to South Carolina, will no longer receive Endangered Species Act protections.

Cougars - along with their cousins panthers and pumas - were once the most widely distributed land mammal in the western hemisphere, but have been driven out from two-thirds of land that they once occupied, wildlife biologists have said.

There are still an estimated 30,000 mountain lions in the western United States, but the Florida panther is a highly endangered species — there are fewer than 100 left.

It is thought that these two animals account for the vast majority of cougar sightings in the last 100 or so years.

The last confirmed sighting of an eastern cougar was one killed by a hunter Maine in 1938. Before that, one was seen in New Brunswick, Canada six years earlier.

The last Eastern Cougar was seen in 1938 (USFWS)
The last Eastern Cougar was seen in 1938 (USFWS) (Creative Commons)

The cat - which was between 6 and 8 feet long and weighed between 105 to 140 pounds - was largely wiped out in the 19th century following the arrival of European immigrants who killed them to protect themselves and their livestock.

Their demise was also caused by deforestation in the region, which drove their prey - the white-tailed deer - to the brink of extinction as well.

Additional reporting by Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in