Fish and Wildlife Service Recommends Delisting of the Eastern Cougar
Posted in Delisting

On March 2, 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) completed its formal review of the status of the eastern cougar (Felis concolor couguar) and concluded that the subspecies is extinct.  The existence of the subspecies, listed since 1973, has long been questioned.  Dr. Mark McCollough, the Service's lead scientist for subspecies, noted that the eastern cougar has likely been extinct since the 1930s.  Though sightings had been reported, the Service believes they are not of the eastern cougar.  Rather, the Service believes that the sightings were actually of South American subspecies held in captivity and escaped or released into the wild, or of the western United States subspecies that had migrated eastward.  The Service will now prepare a proposal to remove the eastern cougar from the endangered species list.

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Tags: Delisting
  • David J. Miller
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    David Miller assists clients on a variety of complex land use and environment related matters, including matters dealing with the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act, and the ...

Nossaman’s Endangered Species Law & Policy blog focuses on news, events, and policies affecting endangered species issues in California and throughout the United States. Topics include listing and critical habitat decisions, conservation and recovery planning, inter-agency consultation, and related developments in law, policy, and science. We also inform readers about regulatory and legislative developments, as well as key court decisions.

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