Eastern Cougar is Declared Extinct, With an Asterisk

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/science/earth/03cougar.html?_r=1&ref=science



Kendall Roberson

This past Wednesday, March 2, 2011, the Eastern Cougar was declared extinct. The last Eastern Cougar seen was seven decades ago and the Fish and Wildlife Service were the ones who declared it extinct, and it should be taken off the nation's endangered species list. However, many scientists believe that the Eastern Cougar is not actually extinct. A genetic study that took place in 2000 established that there is no real difference between the eastern and western cougars. The last known Eastern Cougar was trapped in the late 1930's and was held captive, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

I believe that the Eastern Cougar is extinct. Even though some scientists believe it is not because of the relatively close genetics of the Western Cougar, the "Eastern" Cougar is technically extinct. The Fish and Wildlife Service is an educated organization and they know more about the ecosystem and wildlife than anyone else in the country. If scientists were so worried about the Eastern Cougar becoming extinct, then they should have tried to reproduce it in the late 1930's with the last of the Eastern Cougar species. Now, since the Eastern Cougar is extinct, it cannot be reproduced or brought back into the ecosystem, which can hurt more than just the cougar population. The Eastern Cougar should be taken off the endangered species list because it is now extinct.