The eastern cougar has been declared extinct, according to a report issued Wednesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The eastern cougar has been on the endangered species list since 1973. After a formal review of the available information and, in a report issued today, federal biologists have concluded the eastern cougar is extinct and recommends the subspecies be removed from the endangered species list.
"We recognize that many people have seen cougars in the wild within the historical range of the eastern cougar," said the Service’s Northeast Region Chief of Endangered Species Martin Miller in a press release. "However, we believe those cougars are not the eastern cougar subspecies. We found no information to support the existence of the eastern cougar."
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