[quote it is NOT an "Original Eastern Cougar", they are gone....extirpated ..New York DEC will tell you that. What are we seeing ??I believe are releases, and I don't think it is by mistake....as in ESCAPE[] So while you argue {{{ nicely}}} take some time to think about what to do if you do "encounter a cougar"?
Think about what might be in your kids back yard?
[/quote]

"In 1940 the native eastern cougar were beleived extirpated throughout the east by the 1940's, but a growing number of sightings prompted listing of Felis concolor couguar on the 1973 endangered species list"

This being quoted on the eastern cougar site. The feds have apparently acknowledged the fact that they could be there. They have since showed populations in other areas of the east. I don't care the DEC says. They have absolutly no jurisdiction over these critters whether anyone agrees or not.

I would not want the feds barking up my tree if I shot one just to prove that they were there. If it so proves that the animal were wild and was on the endangered species list. You will for sure have 3 squares and a cot for a long time.

Elkcrazy8, you make some excellent points that I never thought of before. I still believe that there are lions in Pa but I'm not so sure I want the game commission to admit it anymore. I can imagine them closing land to hunting because they found a lion den in the area. They do the same thing now with bald eagle nests.

We need a body to prove these animals. No one believes pictures.

What is that pic from?
Is that a yeti or Whoopie Goldberg talking with her therapist.

Its a Bigfoot, Yeti, Alma, Mo-Mo, Sasquatch, Windigo, Yowler, Yerrin, Skunk Ape, Didi, Yowie, Mono Grande, Mapinguary, Arulataq, Grassman, Abomidable Snowman, Oh-mah, Old Yellow top, Woods Devil, Wookie, Nuk-luk, Nakani, Bushman, Toke'Mussi, Maricoxi, Jingera, Tjangara, Yoser Yah-ho, Jimbra, etc... I guess it depends on where you live as to what you call it.
The picture is of a supposedly dead Almasty [Bigfoot] taken in France. There are supposed to only be 4 pictures of the dead body.

dam, that scared me more than cougar,ha.

What he said!

that is one ugly mother ,ha.

Some do, some don't. When trying to "prove" something, I think it is important to keep in mind just who it is you are trying to convince. The amount, quality and verifiability of evidence required for proof can be very different pending on the audience.

We all have pre-conceived notions so to some, testimony, even from an "unknown" on the internet, may be acceptable. To others, even a body wouldn't do it unless it could be independently verified that the animal truly met its demise in the place and manner claimed. I think a lot of the frustration associated with this debate is the direct result of what I just described. One individual presents something that in his/her mind is sufficiently convincing yet that same information isn't even close for another. Both are astonished with each other.

I don't think it's even possible to prove ML's are in PA to some regardless of the evidence. There are people today that still believe the earth is flat and that men never landed on the moon. It was all a very sophisticated fraud. It's very easy to calim "fraud", you don't have to prove anything, you simply make the claim. After all there is no lack of examples of fraud to point to so what's one more? Of course both sides can make the fraud claim. Those claming ML's exist in the state use a form of it when they bring up the conspiracy theory stuff. Bascially, they have no argument in answer to the PGC and and PSU's position that there is "no evideince" to support their claim so they simply claim cover up or incompetence . Again pretty easy, you don't have to prove it, just claim it.

Like it or not, though, the majority of people do indeed have a great deal of confidence in traditional mainstream sources of information. That is government, mainstream news, universities etc. and until they begin to display a consensus that there is indeed a population of ML's in PA those trying to convince the majority that they exist are bound to fail miserably.

My advice is, have fun with this topic but don't be surprised when people don't believe what you have to say or even go so far as to laugh.

O.K. so where are these pictures we've been promised?

Good point Sylvan

I have seen you on these posts since i joined the sight and I am sure you have read over my posts on this topic. I agree 100% with you.

There are some people that after hearing that there are mt lions in the area come up with the story of there own personal experience and those who even after seeing what should be significant proof will tell you there are no mt lions in the region.

Since I was in Hight school I herd stories about mt lions, black panters, - what ever story was going around at the time and I always said people were full of it. It was not untill my brother saw a mt lion for him self and I found a set of tracks in the mud on a logging trail that i was convinced there were at least a few of them running around.

Now I am sure the population if you can call it that is very limited, but limited or not people will have to believe or be skeptics on the topic. Hey it makes things like these forums fun for all of us.