"PA has the perfect habitat with vast expanses of woodland
and certainly at top of food chain.It could no doubt thrive and evade human contact for yrs in a state like PA."

Sure sounds like an indication that they are "still here" to me. I'm not missing anything. Lots of you cougar advocates have argued this. In any case, you apparently missed my post showing what the United States Park Service says is the current range of the cougar. Cougars don't suddeny "expand" their range from 1000 miles away. If they were "expanding" into PA they would be "established" in nearby states and according to the professionals that are paid to know what their range is, that just isn't the case. Just maybe YOU are missing something!

Answer, its a trick question, they didn't begin the commute in the first place.

So they aren't "still here" in PAand they aren't "expanding" into PA according to the official sources so when do we start the conspiracy theory discussion?

Why would mountain lions need to expand their range, They don't need to. There are not established breeding pairs in the states around Pa. There is no populations establised east of the Mississippi.

what state did they commute from, They didn't.



and why skip the states in between? I don't think they doid, Scotty must have beamed them down.

Oh come on now! The conspiracy theories are the most fun part of the cougar threads and that's what we're down to isn't it? It's pretty clear the government agencies are telling us that not only are they not in PA but they aren't even close to PA so somthing is fishy right?

What ever it sounds like - I never stated they existed in PA,only that they had the perfect habitat,expanse and food sources to thrive.I don't live in PA but did at one time and have spent enough time up there to know cougars could easily exist there.I lived in Southern CA for 4 yrs.Want to talk about population per sq miles,roads etc...etc..Last I heard they have a very healthy population.I spent alot of time afield out there and saw 1 courgar in 4 yrs and that was approx 1/4 mile off.

BTW - all the experts in little ole Delaware said there were no cougars. F&W finally admitted few yrs ago with no pics in hand that there were at least 1 or 2 that migrated from north via marsh land.I spoke with the F&G admin guy who admitted it.That means the animal(s) moved thru the most populated county in the state going unseen until they finally landed in remote farm and woodlands.F&W hired proffesional tracker and never did SEE the animal.So was a cougar(s)here or is it a fairy tail?

Yotes are proven to exist here in small numbers. How and why did they come to this little state? Very few people ever see them in the areas they are known to roam.

I will would only agree to a statement that there are NO cougars in the city of Phil.

Yes, of course AJ you're prooving my point. It's documented and confirmed by everyone that they exist in California. The state agencies, virtually everybody knows they are there. They were hunting them in CA not that long ago. They get hit on the road and occasionally one kills somebody! So why is it just the opposite in PA. All the agencies say "no evidence". If their are cougars running around in PA, one of the most populated state in the union, how come nobody has been able to prove it?
So what on earth are you saying?

lions were here in the early 1900s. we used to have an old map at our camp up in clinton co. which showed were so-and-so shot a "panther' with the date.
I also heard a rumor that ICC stopped a truck up in sullivan co. that had 3 mt. lions inside. ????

Well AJ it seems they had pics and video of a couple cougars that had been captive.

The Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife believes that there are currently at least two, and possibly more, free-roaming cougars in the State. The DNREC has confirmed the presence of cougars in the state over a period of several years. Officials are convinced that these animals are of captive origin. Sighting reports and confirmations of their presence have generally come from New Castle and Kent Counties. Evidence includes home video footage, pictures, tracks, scat and sightings by DNREC staff & law enforcement personnel. The pictures and videos are definitive. There is also evidence that the cats are regularly feeding on white-tailed deer and Canada geese. No reliable evidence exists of cougars taking domestic animals or threatening humans.

So PA is one the most populated states in US. So is CA. Delaware is Not, but whether captive or not they are or were here.Why not PA.

Why did they migrate here.

There have been No confirmed sightings in quit some time.Are they gone or just very elusive.Whats the point here - just because the pro's say they don't exist in PA or none have been seen or shot,that none do or could or ever would exist.

I respect the pro's on this subject. However the statement of nonexistance whatever the reason or logic might be, is one of absolution.

BTW - Delaware initially tryed to dispell(no way,couldn't be)the idea of courgars in Delaware. There were no pictures or video released until after they sent a pro tracker to find the animal(s). He never did.

Also there was a dog(Lab I believe)that sustained head injury by what was thought to be a courgar in New Castle or Northern Kent.

So - I'm stickin to my initial statement of Why Not in PA.That does not say they exist now.

To be closer to you would be my bet.Maybe they were released there?

In the interview I read the PO said the Cougar was walking down the street and in people's backyards. That's not very elusive.

Maybe someone did an SSS on the cougar.

Didn't you readCharlie's post? What does "of captive origin" mean to you? We haven't been talking about some idiot who released a pet cougar into the woods. We've been discussing the expansion of their home range from areas where they are established. 1 or 2 pet cougars brought by humansto Delaware via truck, vanor whatever meansdoesnt' contitute a migration or a range expansion for Pete's sake. Come on! The PGC has never denied such a possibility but that's not what we are talking about. By that level of diversion no one can deny there are Tigers in Philidelphia! Just go to the zoo!