Eastern Cougar Making Comeback

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.

Cougar Sightings

Cougars are on the endangered list in Canada, including Ontario. Because they are elusive animals they are rarely seen.

Recent sightings have occurred in Morden, Manitoba located in the southern portion of the province near the U.S. border at North Dakota. The article in the Mordon Times reports the deer population in the Morden area is larger than normal due to humans feeding them over the winter. The Manitoba Conservation is looking for methods to move this deer population away from human populated areas thus assisting in luring the big cat away.


UPDATE: The Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario has annouced that there have been 30 confirmed sightings of cougars since 2006 with an estimated population of 550 animals.

For those interested in cougars there is a website dedicated to them: EasternCougar.org .
This site covers all cougars in Canada and the United States.

More information can be found on Wikipedia about cougars, especially for writers looking for characteristics and behaviour in creating a realistic animal.
Photo Credit: digitalART2 CC=nc-nd-flickr.