Not that I really want to stir this age-old debate up again, but...
I just read a nice article in Progressive Farmer on cougars east of the Mississippi River. The article was very straight forward, "knowledgeable", & stated many of, what I call, "common sense" views on the subject. Smoe key points:
- a wildlife biologist (Don Linzey) has been tracking sightings in the upper south (KY, VA, TN) for 24 years
- "there is no doubt that cougars exist in the Smokey Mts.,...but no evidence of breeding populations"
- they could be straglers of the FL and/or SD native populations and/or released pets
- a young male was collared in SD and found 700 miles away (in OK) a year later
- the distance from the area where KY, TN, & VA border each other to northern PA - ~650 miles
- so is it possible that some cougars COULD be wandering the hillside around here - I would have to say (as I have always stated) YES