AmmoLand.com

By Robert Tougias

Eastern Cougar

The Quest of the Eastern Cougar - by Robert Tougias

Connecticut --(Ammoland.com)- What is it about cougars?

Why is there this controversy in the East about resident cougars or pumas living unobtrusively?

For decades wildlife officials have been telling us that they do not exist east of the Mississippi and yet each year there are hundreds of people claiming to see one.

There have been confirmed tracks, scat and DNA. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Society finally and officially declared the species extinct in the East this past spring– but just weeks later there was the case of the Milford, Connecticut cougar road kill.

While it may appear state and federal wildlife agencies have answered all the questions regarding the recent cougar kill in Milford on June 11, 2011 a growing number of biologists and private conservationists find fault in the DNA trail explaining the 1,800 mile trek from South Dakota.

Since the match of the cougars DNA with a pioneer population in the Black Hills of South Dakota, more and more state Fish and Game agencies are disclosing DNA extracted via micro-satellite testing from scats. DNA from places such as New York’s Lake George region and Michigan map out the route of the cougar on his way to Connecticut. These tested scats match with the cougar killed in Milford or so they claim — but some skeptics have shown otherwise – both in inconsistencies in testing and in the improbability of the cougar’s route.

Already, Greenwich, Connecticut residents and locals doubt the explanation as a transient male in search of a female for what they believe is a resident population of undetected cougars in the Northeast. Wildlife author and active member of the Cougar Rewilding Foundation, Robert Tougias, does believe the healthy male cat, that showed no signs of having been in captivity, is one of many male cougars that have escaped the stressed Black Hills population in search of a female.

“This is something we thought would happen but it just surprised us because we didn’t think it would so soon. Cougars travel widely in search of females, which are philopatric or faithful to home birthing ranges, they don’t disperse and the males will keep going in search for them and new territory”. Tougias, who has just released a new book titled The Quest For The Eastern Cougar, says this cougar is not the first to make a long distance journey from the Black Hills.

Tougias explains the reasoning behind the Milford cougar roadkill and the continued claims of it being a native relic cat from pre European settlement times in his book which discusses the entire eastern cougar topic in detail. Tougias journeys deep into the world of the cougar and into the reasoning of those who believe cougars do exist in the East and those who do not.

He also predicts more cases of cougars turning up here in the East and offers hope of potential recovery for the species. His book The Quest For The Eastern Cougar is available at Barnes and Noble.com & Amazon or at rtougias@snet.net

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This is the same week a Louisiana Man was Sentenced for Illegally Taking Black Bear.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Louisiana --(Ammoland.com)- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents are seeking leads for an illegally killed black bear that was found floating in the Mississippi River in Pointe Coupee Parish.

Hunters in the area reported the bear to LDWF on Sunday, Dec. 11 near the old ferry landing.

LDWF performed a necropsy on the bear at the recovery scene, which revealed the bear was shot multiple times and then probably disposed of into the river. LDWF is estimating that the bear was shot either a day or two before being reported.

“The bear was a lactating female meaning this action has left orphan cubs out there somewhere that will now also die as a result of this unfortunate shooting,” said Maria Davidson, LDWF’s Large Carnivore Program Manager.

“Losing this mother bear and most likely her cubs is a serious setback for our plans to make the Louisiana black bear a sustainable game animal in the near future.”

When LDWF officials went back to retrieve the bear they found the bear had been decapitated by someone since the last visit to the scene. LDWF is warning the public that being found in possession of parts of a Louisiana black bear is against the law.

Anyone with information regarding this illegal bear killing or the whereabouts of the missing black bear head should call the Louisiana Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 or use LDWF’s tip411 program. To use the tip411 program, citizens can text LADWF and their tip to 847411 or download the “LADWF Tips” iPhone app from the Apple iTunes store free of charge.

The hotline and the tip411 program are monitored 24 hours a day. Cash rewards up to $5,000 are offered for information leading to the apprehension of individuals harming a black bear. Tipsters can also remain anonymous.

“We have solved cases like this in the past with the public’s help and we are again asking for any leads that might guide us in the right direction” said Col. Winton Vidrine, head of the LDWF Enforcement Division. “

This bear has no reported nuisance history and by all accounts was a healthy adult female Louisiana black bear.

The Louisiana black bear has been listed on the Federal Threatened and Endangered Species List since 1992. Citizens are reminded that killing a Louisiana black bear is a violation of both state law and the federal Endangered Species Act. Violators are subject to penalties of up to $50,000 and six months in jail. In addition, a civil restitution fine of $10,000 for the bear may be imposed on anyone convicted of killing a black bear in Louisiana.

With the number of bear and hunter interactions on the rise within the last couple of years, LDWF encourages hunters to carry bear spray and know a few simple rules. If possible, a hunter encountering a bear should back away and proceed in another direction. If a bear approaches, you should raise your arms over your head to appear larger and speak in a normal tone of voice to let the bear know you are there. If the bear continues to approach, wave your arms and yell at the bear. At this point a hunter could use bear spray to deter the bear’s approach.

Hunters should also be aware that baiting deer with corn artificially concentrates bears near deer stands. It is recommended that hunters either refrain from using corn for bait or use soybeans to reduce bear feeding activity. Bear encounters can be reported to 1-800-442-2511.

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