Post by smedz on Aug 22, 2020 10:45:46 GMT -5
When one goes walking into the Eastern forests, one sees a landscape that at a glance seems beautiful, however, not exactly all is well. We have much in this part of the country, one of those is an unnatural overabundance of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus). With the absence of natural predators, their numbers have exploded and are having a big negative impact on the ecosystem by eating a large amount of new seedlings growing from the ground. Deer are not the only ungulates to worry about, wild boar introduced into this country are much worse, and research shows that forest patches with wild boar have 26% less diverse bird and mammal communities, and then we have elk. They aren't overpopulated, but they appear to be on the path to being so. If you think a deer overpopulation is bad, just imagine how bad an elk overpopulation would be. The high deer numbers is the main reason why groups such as The Cougar Rewilding Foundation have called for the reintoduction of the cougar or whatever you wanna call it into the Eastern United States.
Our first concern "Wouldn't introducing cougars hurt other species as well that are not overpopulated? As well as humans and pets?"
First let's take a look at humans. Cougars with their sheer power and weaponry seem like the kind of animal that would be dangerous, but looks can be deceiving. From 1890 to 2001, there were 98 attacks on humans, 17 of those were fatal. So as you can see, cougar attacks are rare, and deaths by cougars are even rarer. Now let's compare that with animals we live with. As it turns out, cows kill 20 per year, and domestic dogs kill around 25ish people per year, so we technically already live with much more dangerous animals, yet we accept them. Interestingly enough is that the cougars most associated with attacks on humans are the juveniles and believe it or not, hunting them can increase the risk as it removes adult males whose territories are taken over by the teenagers who cause issues, and there's also the issue where a hunter kills a mother cougar who doesn't see her with offspring and the cubs, if they're big enough, resort to doing whatever they need to survive, it's actually a pretty sad story. As for pets, it's no secret that cougars like to eat dogs, but those incidents are easy to avoid since all owners really have to do is get their pets inside at night when cougars are most active. Plus, if you have own a group of dogs together, a cougar will not attack as unlike the tiger and lion, it does not have the size and strength to fight them. Now for other species, when cougars are younger they focus on smaller animals, but as they get older and their hunting skills develop, they then specialize in taking on larger prey, thus the oldest and most experienced cougars kill elk which makes sense since it takes a while to learn how to kill things much bigger than you, and by keeping big prey on the move, they would actually keep them from destroying habitats for other species, and they would make their prey more fit by taking out the weakest individuals. So no, they wouldn't necessarily be a big threat to other species, especially since deer, boar, and elk would make up most of their diet.
Next up: Wouldn't the Mountain lions be a threat to livestock and thus my livelihood?" Sometimes they will, but I was told by a member of the Santa Cruz Puma Project that livestock predation by cougars actually doesn't happen very often. In the Southwest though, they are a common calf killer, yet in the northwest, they have minimal impact on them, and that's simply due to where and when the calves are born. The Southwestern calves just happen to be born where cougars are most active and when they're the easiest to catch. Basically, with young animals and smaller livestock like sheep and goats, it all depends on how well you do at keeping them separated. In the east, we have a huge advantage because farmers have barns. All a livestock owner has to do is simply put their animals into the barns when the sun starts to go down unless they have a team of guard dogs. Not all livestock owners would be affected though if you have an all steer operation, you're good, cougars simply do not target large bovids as prey, if you own draft horses and you don't have foals, don't even worry about it.
What impact would they have on the deer and other wildlife? Haven't we hunters replaced them? When the cougar prey on the deer, they will indeed cause a decrease in their numbers which will be great for the ecosystem. when predators hunt they target the most unfit animals being the young, weak, old, wounded, and sick, so not only would you have a smaller deer population, but a healthier and stronger one as well. However, predators have a limited ability to catch and kill prey, and on average only kill about 10-15% of a prey population, in fact, Dr. John Laundre estimated that a reintroduced population of cougars in the Adirondacks would kill 8% of the parks deer population. Since those are small percentages you're probably thinking "if they don't reduce them that much, why bring them back?" the reason is that the biggest impact predators have on their prey is not by killing them, but by scaring them, literally a non-lethal method. After the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, biologists began to understand a new concept called the ecology of fear, some even call these landscapes of fear. Basically what happens is that in Yellowstone, elk try to avoid the areas where they're in the most danger of being killed by wolves, allowing many plants to grow back, and new habitats for other animals return, and the return of certain plants has cooled the temperature of the rivers with their shade, encouraging the return of fish. In recent times, two new things have been learned about the ecology of fear. One is that while elk will avoid those areas when wolves are most active but they have no problem using those areas when wolves are the least active, and the second one is that the elk have adjusted their landscape use to better avoid both wolves and cougars. During the day they try to avoid the more open areas and stick to the forest edges when cougars are least active and wolves are most active, and then during the night, they go to the more open spaces when wolves are least active and cougars are most active. We need cougars in the east not much to reduce their numbers, but to instill the fear into them. To answer the second question, no, hunters have not replaced the apex predators in the eastern forest ecosystem because hunters target the fittest individuals and hunters are not active year-round, so deer might avoid certain areas during the hunting season, they'll have no trouble using those areas outside of hunting season, and about 6 months of the year are hunter free and since the new growth grows outside of hunting season, the deer have a long time to not worry about human hunters and browse through the forests with no fear. Cougars work 24/7/365, deer can't rely on them to take a break, thus with cougars back, the fear will be more constant. As for other wildlife, let's talk about another animal in the east: the coyote. Cougars kill and eat coyotes thus, coyotes view cougars as predators. When the cougars in the east kill coyotes they will reduce the number of coyotes which might decrease their predation on deer fawns, and the presence of cougars might force them to use the landscape to avoid the areas and times where they're likely going to be killed which also could decrease their predation on deer fawns. However, it must be acknowledged that the majority of studies, even including game agency studies, show that coyotes don't prey on them enough to impact the overall deer population. Then there's a very big role they play in the ecosystem, research by Mark Elbroch has shown that cougars are ecosystem engineers. The kills they make do more than feeding the cougar, they also provide food and shelter for several species of carrion dependent beetles, the small birds eat insects at cougar kills, some birds of prey, foxes, and smaller mammals use their kills, especially during the winter, cougar kills are an important food source for bears going into or emerging from hibernation, and the carcasses enrich the soil, enchanting plant diversity. From this, a reintroduction of cougars would help with the conservation of American Burying Beetles and would help many other wildlife species in the process.
The next question about cougar reintroduction into the East: "Would the people even tolerate them?"
If you were to bring up the topic and I have before, chances are you'll hear them say "It won't work because people would destroy them." But is this true? That people won't support it? Let's take a look, shall we?
A while back the MSNBC had a story about reports of cougar sightings in the east, but in the article, they had a poll asking if cougars should be recolonized in the east? 6,345 people responded, and 77% answered "Yes, they will help the ecosystem; we can learn to coexist." Not only that but a survey made by the Florida Advisory Council on Environmental Education in northern Florida found that, like the MSNBC survey, 77% of people supported panther reintroduction in their or in surrounding counties, and 75% of hunters and fisherman also supported panther introductions. The Cougar Network had a 2009 survey in North Dakota and Kentucky and they found generally positive attitudes to cougars. People living in states with cougars actually like having them around with 90% of Florida and Colorado residents, 78% of residents in Arizona near Saguaro National Park, 76% in Texas, liking having them around, and in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 56% of residents wanted to see no change or an increase in the local cougar population. So there's actually more public support for it than many think.
Next question: "Won't cougars just recolonize the east on their own?"
It's no secret that the odd cougar every now and then has appeared in the east, with some confirmation in Tennessee, Minnesota, and even Connecticut. Events like that make people believe that cougars will one day recolonize the east by themselves. This, however, and unfortunately, is only a wishful dream. There are 2 basic reasons for it. The first reason is their dispersal. Males and females differ in how far they disperse. When a male becomes old enough he is forced off the land by either a new dominant male or his father, or he just leaves and he now either has to find an empty territory with some ladies or he has to fight another male over his land. If he can't do either one, he dies and never passes on his genes thus he will travel great distances to find his own land. Females, if they disperse, travel only as far as needed, they look for a territory with enough food and space to take care of the 3-4 litters she will typically have. Almost all of the cougars that have ventured east are males, and they won't stick around in an area if they can't find any smoking hot babes (pretty sure all guys can relate to that). The second reason is that any cats that go eastward sign their death sentence because they walk across some of the most agriculture happy states in America, and with so many fields, there isn't that much cover, and the cover they find along rivers will likely lead to a city or town where they'll be killed by authorities. Then there are the draconian game laws that pretty much say "See a cougar? got a gun? Kill it!" Nevada for example has a season on cougars even though there's only about 34 of them in the entire state. Also, of all the cats found in the east, how many of them are alive? Hardly any because they face cars as well. Any cougar that does survive, will live out a mateless life, and never pass on their genes to the next generation, and so if cougars are to return to the east, reintroduction, or in this case aided dispersal is the way to go.
The answer is actually is big yes. The wildlife watching industry is growing as people's attitudes towards wildlife are changing. In fact, wolf watching in Yellowstone has actually helped the local economy there (that's for a separate post). People go all the way to Africa and India to see wildlife, including big cats. So who knows, perhaps cougar watching could become a new big business in the East. But more importantly, a study done in 2016 found that reintroduced cougars could help reduce deer-car collisions by preventing 21,400 injuries, 155 deaths, and $2.13 billion in avoided costs within 30 years of establishment. Cougars in South Dakota prevent $1.1 million in collision costs annually. so not only could it be good for the economy, but it could also help save lives as well. As for a reference, "In southwest Texas, 300,000 - 350,000 people a year visit Big Bend National Park, where the focal animal is the cougar. The number that visit for the rare chance to see a cougar or to track cougar sign has not been calculated. However, if the cougar's draw to Big Bend is similar to the wolf’s draw to Yellowstone (i.e. 3.7% of visitors come specifically to 
experience the presence of large carnivores), multiplied by the Texas $463 (p.12) wildlife watching trip expenditure, the cougar produces $5.6 million annually for the Big Bend region." "Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge: Though tourists will rarely see an endangered panther, the tiny, 24,000-acre refuge in southwest Florida draws 8,000 visitors, generating about $13 million annually." us5.campaign-archive.com/?u=2c2c8cf3bcd76e459d327b65f&id=40e2c61682&e=[UNIQID]&fbclid=IwAR3pSU-gNXd57QLLqpgMlzujppu1HilKhIr8plaujSGPkJRqaO33XlNumdE
The next and final question on cougar reintroduction to the Eastern United States: "Are you sure they can even live here?"
In order to live in an area, cougars basically need 2 things, food, and cover. The eastern US actually has more forest cover than the western US, and it has a higher density of deer in it as well. so the east has the two big requirements needed. The cougar, contrary to previous thoughts, is pretty much as adaptable as the coyote. Besides, if American Black Bears can live in this part of the country, then there's really no reason why cougars couldn't live here.
Our first concern "Wouldn't introducing cougars hurt other species as well that are not overpopulated? As well as humans and pets?"
First let's take a look at humans. Cougars with their sheer power and weaponry seem like the kind of animal that would be dangerous, but looks can be deceiving. From 1890 to 2001, there were 98 attacks on humans, 17 of those were fatal. So as you can see, cougar attacks are rare, and deaths by cougars are even rarer. Now let's compare that with animals we live with. As it turns out, cows kill 20 per year, and domestic dogs kill around 25ish people per year, so we technically already live with much more dangerous animals, yet we accept them. Interestingly enough is that the cougars most associated with attacks on humans are the juveniles and believe it or not, hunting them can increase the risk as it removes adult males whose territories are taken over by the teenagers who cause issues, and there's also the issue where a hunter kills a mother cougar who doesn't see her with offspring and the cubs, if they're big enough, resort to doing whatever they need to survive, it's actually a pretty sad story. As for pets, it's no secret that cougars like to eat dogs, but those incidents are easy to avoid since all owners really have to do is get their pets inside at night when cougars are most active. Plus, if you have own a group of dogs together, a cougar will not attack as unlike the tiger and lion, it does not have the size and strength to fight them. Now for other species, when cougars are younger they focus on smaller animals, but as they get older and their hunting skills develop, they then specialize in taking on larger prey, thus the oldest and most experienced cougars kill elk which makes sense since it takes a while to learn how to kill things much bigger than you, and by keeping big prey on the move, they would actually keep them from destroying habitats for other species, and they would make their prey more fit by taking out the weakest individuals. So no, they wouldn't necessarily be a big threat to other species, especially since deer, boar, and elk would make up most of their diet.
Next up: Wouldn't the Mountain lions be a threat to livestock and thus my livelihood?" Sometimes they will, but I was told by a member of the Santa Cruz Puma Project that livestock predation by cougars actually doesn't happen very often. In the Southwest though, they are a common calf killer, yet in the northwest, they have minimal impact on them, and that's simply due to where and when the calves are born. The Southwestern calves just happen to be born where cougars are most active and when they're the easiest to catch. Basically, with young animals and smaller livestock like sheep and goats, it all depends on how well you do at keeping them separated. In the east, we have a huge advantage because farmers have barns. All a livestock owner has to do is simply put their animals into the barns when the sun starts to go down unless they have a team of guard dogs. Not all livestock owners would be affected though if you have an all steer operation, you're good, cougars simply do not target large bovids as prey, if you own draft horses and you don't have foals, don't even worry about it.
What impact would they have on the deer and other wildlife? Haven't we hunters replaced them? When the cougar prey on the deer, they will indeed cause a decrease in their numbers which will be great for the ecosystem. when predators hunt they target the most unfit animals being the young, weak, old, wounded, and sick, so not only would you have a smaller deer population, but a healthier and stronger one as well. However, predators have a limited ability to catch and kill prey, and on average only kill about 10-15% of a prey population, in fact, Dr. John Laundre estimated that a reintroduced population of cougars in the Adirondacks would kill 8% of the parks deer population. Since those are small percentages you're probably thinking "if they don't reduce them that much, why bring them back?" the reason is that the biggest impact predators have on their prey is not by killing them, but by scaring them, literally a non-lethal method. After the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, biologists began to understand a new concept called the ecology of fear, some even call these landscapes of fear. Basically what happens is that in Yellowstone, elk try to avoid the areas where they're in the most danger of being killed by wolves, allowing many plants to grow back, and new habitats for other animals return, and the return of certain plants has cooled the temperature of the rivers with their shade, encouraging the return of fish. In recent times, two new things have been learned about the ecology of fear. One is that while elk will avoid those areas when wolves are most active but they have no problem using those areas when wolves are the least active, and the second one is that the elk have adjusted their landscape use to better avoid both wolves and cougars. During the day they try to avoid the more open areas and stick to the forest edges when cougars are least active and wolves are most active, and then during the night, they go to the more open spaces when wolves are least active and cougars are most active. We need cougars in the east not much to reduce their numbers, but to instill the fear into them. To answer the second question, no, hunters have not replaced the apex predators in the eastern forest ecosystem because hunters target the fittest individuals and hunters are not active year-round, so deer might avoid certain areas during the hunting season, they'll have no trouble using those areas outside of hunting season, and about 6 months of the year are hunter free and since the new growth grows outside of hunting season, the deer have a long time to not worry about human hunters and browse through the forests with no fear. Cougars work 24/7/365, deer can't rely on them to take a break, thus with cougars back, the fear will be more constant. As for other wildlife, let's talk about another animal in the east: the coyote. Cougars kill and eat coyotes thus, coyotes view cougars as predators. When the cougars in the east kill coyotes they will reduce the number of coyotes which might decrease their predation on deer fawns, and the presence of cougars might force them to use the landscape to avoid the areas and times where they're likely going to be killed which also could decrease their predation on deer fawns. However, it must be acknowledged that the majority of studies, even including game agency studies, show that coyotes don't prey on them enough to impact the overall deer population. Then there's a very big role they play in the ecosystem, research by Mark Elbroch has shown that cougars are ecosystem engineers. The kills they make do more than feeding the cougar, they also provide food and shelter for several species of carrion dependent beetles, the small birds eat insects at cougar kills, some birds of prey, foxes, and smaller mammals use their kills, especially during the winter, cougar kills are an important food source for bears going into or emerging from hibernation, and the carcasses enrich the soil, enchanting plant diversity. From this, a reintroduction of cougars would help with the conservation of American Burying Beetles and would help many other wildlife species in the process.
The next question about cougar reintroduction into the East: "Would the people even tolerate them?"
If you were to bring up the topic and I have before, chances are you'll hear them say "It won't work because people would destroy them." But is this true? That people won't support it? Let's take a look, shall we?
A while back the MSNBC had a story about reports of cougar sightings in the east, but in the article, they had a poll asking if cougars should be recolonized in the east? 6,345 people responded, and 77% answered "Yes, they will help the ecosystem; we can learn to coexist." Not only that but a survey made by the Florida Advisory Council on Environmental Education in northern Florida found that, like the MSNBC survey, 77% of people supported panther reintroduction in their or in surrounding counties, and 75% of hunters and fisherman also supported panther introductions. The Cougar Network had a 2009 survey in North Dakota and Kentucky and they found generally positive attitudes to cougars. People living in states with cougars actually like having them around with 90% of Florida and Colorado residents, 78% of residents in Arizona near Saguaro National Park, 76% in Texas, liking having them around, and in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 56% of residents wanted to see no change or an increase in the local cougar population. So there's actually more public support for it than many think.
Next question: "Won't cougars just recolonize the east on their own?"
It's no secret that the odd cougar every now and then has appeared in the east, with some confirmation in Tennessee, Minnesota, and even Connecticut. Events like that make people believe that cougars will one day recolonize the east by themselves. This, however, and unfortunately, is only a wishful dream. There are 2 basic reasons for it. The first reason is their dispersal. Males and females differ in how far they disperse. When a male becomes old enough he is forced off the land by either a new dominant male or his father, or he just leaves and he now either has to find an empty territory with some ladies or he has to fight another male over his land. If he can't do either one, he dies and never passes on his genes thus he will travel great distances to find his own land. Females, if they disperse, travel only as far as needed, they look for a territory with enough food and space to take care of the 3-4 litters she will typically have. Almost all of the cougars that have ventured east are males, and they won't stick around in an area if they can't find any smoking hot babes (pretty sure all guys can relate to that). The second reason is that any cats that go eastward sign their death sentence because they walk across some of the most agriculture happy states in America, and with so many fields, there isn't that much cover, and the cover they find along rivers will likely lead to a city or town where they'll be killed by authorities. Then there are the draconian game laws that pretty much say "See a cougar? got a gun? Kill it!" Nevada for example has a season on cougars even though there's only about 34 of them in the entire state. Also, of all the cats found in the east, how many of them are alive? Hardly any because they face cars as well. Any cougar that does survive, will live out a mateless life, and never pass on their genes to the next generation, and so if cougars are to return to the east, reintroduction, or in this case aided dispersal is the way to go.
The answer is actually is big yes. The wildlife watching industry is growing as people's attitudes towards wildlife are changing. In fact, wolf watching in Yellowstone has actually helped the local economy there (that's for a separate post). People go all the way to Africa and India to see wildlife, including big cats. So who knows, perhaps cougar watching could become a new big business in the East. But more importantly, a study done in 2016 found that reintroduced cougars could help reduce deer-car collisions by preventing 21,400 injuries, 155 deaths, and $2.13 billion in avoided costs within 30 years of establishment. Cougars in South Dakota prevent $1.1 million in collision costs annually. so not only could it be good for the economy, but it could also help save lives as well. As for a reference, "In southwest Texas, 300,000 - 350,000 people a year visit Big Bend National Park, where the focal animal is the cougar. The number that visit for the rare chance to see a cougar or to track cougar sign has not been calculated. However, if the cougar's draw to Big Bend is similar to the wolf’s draw to Yellowstone (i.e. 3.7% of visitors come specifically to 
experience the presence of large carnivores), multiplied by the Texas $463 (p.12) wildlife watching trip expenditure, the cougar produces $5.6 million annually for the Big Bend region." "Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge: Though tourists will rarely see an endangered panther, the tiny, 24,000-acre refuge in southwest Florida draws 8,000 visitors, generating about $13 million annually." us5.campaign-archive.com/?u=2c2c8cf3bcd76e459d327b65f&id=40e2c61682&e=[UNIQID]&fbclid=IwAR3pSU-gNXd57QLLqpgMlzujppu1HilKhIr8plaujSGPkJRqaO33XlNumdE
The next and final question on cougar reintroduction to the Eastern United States: "Are you sure they can even live here?"
In order to live in an area, cougars basically need 2 things, food, and cover. The eastern US actually has more forest cover than the western US, and it has a higher density of deer in it as well. so the east has the two big requirements needed. The cougar, contrary to previous thoughts, is pretty much as adaptable as the coyote. Besides, if American Black Bears can live in this part of the country, then there's really no reason why cougars couldn't live here.
