According to a recent post in Cougar News about an article in the Ottawa Citizen written by Tom Spears, March 15, 2012, cougars have made a comeback in eastern Ontario. Rick Rosatte, a biologist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Trent University in Peterborough, ON conducted a study from 2006 to 2010 that confirmed sightings. He suspects the cougars come from those in the wild, and those people had as pets decided to release them back into the wild. They prefer low density areas and prey upon the large deer population.
Myself, I'm pleased the wildlife are making a comeback in areas they deserve to live in. Although if the cougar population increases substantially then they will be reduced by hunters who are given permits by the Ministry. It's a shame they were almost hunted to extinction in the first place. But times are changing.
Photo Credit: ART2 CC=nc-nd-flickr.
14 comments:
Oh!! What a very beautiful cougar!! Exciting story you're telling..
Fantastic photo!! =)
So glad to hear this. What gorgeous animals.
Great to hear almost anything is coming back! Although, I have been led to believe the coyote is all across North America and into areas where very early settlers (1600s eas of the Great Lakes) didn't see them. They are creating problems.
As for cougars, they are a beautiful animal. Wandering the swamps, forests and mountains of Ontario up until 1962 and again from '72 to '80 the thought of seeing a cougar didn't even cross my mind for "they don't live here."
I saw one through binocs in 1963 in BCs Peace River Country approx. a mile away and watched it for half an hour. Well worth the time and better than a documentary.
Dave
www.dmmcgowan.blogspot.com
The cat came back.
Sorry.
So glad to see the cougar come back.
Very pleased to hear that they are coming back...Leah beat me to the smart a$$ remark though.
How good to know that your wildlife is coming back! Here in Camelopardalis we cherish our environment and its inhabitants and endeavour to preserve them from nextinction.
The waterfall in your previous post looks beautiful too - I love the mossy rocks.
What a stunning photo, so pleased i looked and found it.
Brian
It is great to see wildlife being restored, especially more or less by themselves. They are part of nature and it is not our job to remove them - on the contrary.
Viola, if one endanagered species can make comebacks, so can the others. It's all a matter of time.
Charles, you should have some nearby where you live as the Eastern Cougar ranges from Canada down the eastern side of the U.S. They tend to prowl in the woods and you're not likely to see them as they blend in so well with the underbrush.
Dave, the cougar in western Canada and the U.S. is there, but a slightly different variety. Perhaps sticking closer to the foothills and mountians.
Leah, sometimes I can't help myself either. Puns are great.
Reb, any cat lover would appreciate that.
Raph, our environment wherever we live is important not only for wildlife but for humans too. Conservation is most important.
Brian, welcome. Cougars will survive providing their habitat isn't spoiled by overdevelopment.
RuneE, the lynx and bobcat are smaller and they manage to survive in the woods closer to civilisation. I hope to do a post about them in the future.
Nice story.
I started a project on the Eastern Cougar(and i too agree that they are a beautiful creature.) The assignment was to research an endangerd species in my province...to find a species that is making a comeback is great. In class yesterday we spoke about the fact that some people are saying that we should use conservation triage, while others think that we should do whats more affordable by saving those of witch that would take less effort and money...thus saving many for the price of one. to be honest im not sure what side im on...to hear that the eastern cougar is making a comeback on its own shows that some species dont really need our help...while others do.
Senad, welcome.
Cynthia, most endangered species can make a comeback providing their natural habitat is available to them, and man takes a step back to allow them to do so. Funding to protect species is an issue that continues to plague efforts of conservation. Having conservation parks and regions is a good step in the right direction while humans should take all the necessary steps to provide safety for themselves when they enter such areas that wildlife live in.
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