They are here however low numbers they are and for whatever reason. If they are escaped pets then why are they never investigated or attemps made to possibly capture it if it is? An escaped pet lion would be ten times more dangerous loose in the wild than a wild one.
As for any evidence for the nonbelievers.
http://www.easterncougarnet.org/
you want a scientific approach and scientific proof, click it and start reading.
Breaking news and big picture most importantly.
How bout that young male that is collared that they have proven to have traveled over 450 miles from south dakota and has been found in wisconsin(where they are not supposed to be). He did that in six monthes of traveling after collared. Think what a male might roam in a 8 year life span.
The western population is so big right now that they are naturally recolonizing into the mid west and plains states up to the missippi and a bit beyond NATURALLY. That site proves it. Albeit low numbers but they have done so from western populations naturally. Like it or not.
If they are not in NY in low numbers already ....... they will be within 10 years ALL by natural movements from over crowding territory out west.
These cat move and roam a LOT which makes them all that much harder to find in low numbers.
I live in north western broome county and due to the rivers, creeks, highways and roads in the area, any animal roaming through that area kind of gets funneled right into north west endicott west corners area. We have seen 6 seperate sightings over 7 past years of big cats. I think these cats are simply passing through and we are fortunate enough to be in the right lay of the land to happen by the occassional 10 second glance. they are here.
As for wolves ...... that is a whole nother story.
There is currently a study going on about the eastern yotes and why northeastern yotes are soooooo much larger than western yotes. Western yotes are approx 35 pounds but eastern yotes freequently go upwards 50 to 60 pounds and some scientist are curious why.
They have done big capture DNA test groups of yotes in NY and Maine, and currently they are testing or trying to gather another test group from Massachusettes yotes according to the article. I'll see if I can't find it as the article is a good informative read.
They have found that the majority of eastern yotes are a hybrid and mutt of sorts at the DNA lvl. The Canadian Eastern wolf or red wolf was thought to have been next to extinct. The red wolf is much smaller than it's western cousin the western timber wolf. Scientists doing the study think that the western coyote migrated to eastern habitat in low numbers and being there was a lesser of a size difference between the two species and that numbers were so low of both species that they had to have begun interbreading from naturally seeking out a mate. Unfortunately numbers were so low of both species that they didn't care what they were doing it with just they were doing it with another dog.
Of the two test groups(I think if i recall the artical correctly was 30 yotes and like 55 yotes) they found that at a DNA lvl the eastern yotes are a mix of the western yote and eastern canadian wolf or red wolf. The majority is this mix bread of the yotes they captured and DNA tested but there are two smaller percentages that swing the other way. Lack of exact numbers but lets say 10% is most closely related to the western yote at DNA level and 10% are closer to eastern redwolf at the DNA lvl.
Not to mention if you have ever seen the two, you would look at the red wolf and say boy what a big coyote.
They used to have some red wolves in the zoo in Binghamton new york but one got out and some neighbor shot it. This happend not to long ago ...... like 6 or 8 monthes tops. The zoo never figured out how the wolf got out loose so they actually got rid of the other ones they had so that it wouldn't happen again. Shamefull at best and it was all over the news here locally. They never found out who shot it but assumed one the neighbors around the zoo. If you know the area there are quite a few house...... not like it's rural by any means.
So those of you that see one them big yotes that makes you say boy that is one big yote ....... well it might not be a yote. I'll see if I can't find that article ....... someone else posted it here many many monthes ago.