This is a sad day for the world, yet another beautiful and endangered species has become extinct – the Eastern Puma.
This big cat was native to North American and at one time they roamed freely around all states east of the Mississippi River.
But the felines were sadly declared extinct on January 22nd, after numbers dwindled in recent years.
Their name was removed by the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the list of endangered species for the last ever time.
The cougars had been treated with contempt by humans since the 1900’s, and their numbers were damaged by widespread hunting and trapping.
They were first declared endangered in 1973 when none of the animals had been seen for over 30 years. They were then spotted once again but never regained the numbers that they once enjoyed.
The news will not come as a blow to some people, who believed that the animals were dangerous, as a small number of cougar attacks had been reported throughout history.
But to see animal be driven to extinction is a sad revelation for animal lovers and conservationists alike. The food chain is delicately balanced and we need all types of animals to play their part in the continuing of the circle of life.
Conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity Michael Robinson said:
“We need large carnivores like cougars, which would curb deer overpopulation and tick-borne diseases that threaten human health, so we hope Eastern and Midwestern states will reintroduce them.”
The Eastern Puma is the genetic cousin of the mountain lion, which still roam in many parts of the wild in North America. The big cats were known to grow up to 8 feet long and could weigh as much as 140 lbs.
The majestic creatures’ death warrant was signed in 2015 when wildlife biologists stated that there nothing that could be done to bring the species from the brink of extinction, and since then it has been a waiting game.
The cougar, and their cousin the mountain lion are generally calm animals and where possible, they liked to stay out of the way of humans, minding their own business.
Cougar attacks were reported very seldom, but the human’s desire for hunting and conquering all other animal species led to their downfall. In many places in the U.S and elsewhere in the world, hunting as a sport still goes on, some people have yet to grasp the immense repercussions and the cruelty that is involved in killing animals, and the way that it is changing our planet forever.
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Σάββατο, Φεβρουαρίου 10, 2018 |
animals
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