Catamount, puma, painter, panther, mountain lion are just some of the names given to a large but elusive will-o'-the-wisp cat that once haunted . . . or perhaps still haunts . . . the forests of the eastern United States and Canada.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beginning a review of scientific and commercial information to determine the status of the endangered eastern cougar, the first review the Service has done since publishing a recovery plan in 1982. The Service placed the eastern cougar on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 1973.

"We will compile and evaluate scientific evidence to help us understand the status of the eastern cougar and to determine what future actions the Service should take," said Martin Miller, chief of endangered species for the Service's Northeast Region.

As part of the review, the Service is seeking information on the status of the eastern cougar in the 21 states -- from Maine to South Carolina and west from Michigan to Tennessee -- where the Endangered Species Act protects it. Lacking definitive evidence of the species' existence, the Service has presumed the eastern cougar to be extinct. It is improbable that a small cougar population persisted in the eastern states for over a century. Most of the confirmed cougar records since 1950 (animals killed, good quality photos/videos, genetic evidence) are known to be escapes of captive origin. There may be thousands of captive cougars in the eastern United States.

"An important part of the Service's review will be to compile the best available scientific evidence and objectively assess whether the eastern cougar is truly extinct," said Mark McCollough, endangered species biologist in the Service's Northeast Region. McCollough and other Service staff will prepare the status review.

Anyone wishing to submit information regarding the eastern cougar may do so by writing to:

Eastern Cougar
Northeast Regional Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035

or by email to EasternCougar@fws.gov Information must be received by March 30, 2007, for the status review, although the Service will continue to accept new information about eastern cougars at any time.

The Service announced the eastern cougar status review in the "Federal Register" on Jan. 29. To assist with the review, the Service contacted state fish and wildlife agencies in states and Canadian provinces where the cougar is thought to have lived and requested information related to cougar status, protection, threats, laws about captivity, and habitats where cougars could persist.

The Endangered Species Act requires a review every five years of all protected species. However, limited resources and higher priorities have postponed the review for the Eastern cougar until now.

For additional information on the eastern cougar, see http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ECougar Information on the Service's endangered species program may be found at http://www.fws.gov/endangered

Media Contact:
Diana Weaver 413-253-8329