Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, New Evidence [Paperback]

Chris Bolgiano (Editor), Jerry Roberts (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2005

The first book to cover the history and current status of the mysterious big cat

Investigates the controversial question of whether wild cougars still inhabit the eastern United States

Collects written accounts from the settlers who first encountered the animals and includes contributions from leading figures in the field

When European settlers first reached the shores of North America, eastern cougars were plentiful, ranging up and down the coast of the present-day United States. By the beginning of the twentieth century, they had been almost entirely wiped out, victims of the same rapacity and ignorance that decimated wolf and bison numbers elsewhere in the country. Today, the continued existence of wild cougars remains hotly disputed, as do proposals to reintroduce cougars to the East. This groundbreaking anthology brings together accounts of early settlers and explorers, presents pro and con arguments on the wild cougar question, and examines the social and environmental implications of reintroduction. More than just a study of a single animal, this fascinating anthology probes America's troubled history with large predators and makes a vital contribution to the wildlife management debates of today.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry Roberts is a writer, editor, and critic who has written or contributed to countless books and articles on various topics. He lives in Torrance, California.

Chris Bolgiano is a librarian and freelance writer living in western Virginia. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and numerous other publications. She is the author of the books Mountain Lion (0-8117-2867-6) and Living in the Appalachian Forest (0-8117-2845-5).

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (July 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811732185
• ISBN-13: 978-0811732185
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,101,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointing, February 2, 2006

By 

cachkn46 (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, New Evidence (Paperback)

This book is a collection of publications regarding the eastern cougar with occasional commentary from the editors. Most of the pages are devoted to accounts of sightings or other evidence of cougar acitivity in the eastern states, and at least some of these publications (newspaper and magazine articles, letters, essays, and a few scientific journal articles) can be found on the internet, and others are summarized on the internet at, for example, the Cougar Network website. The editors' organization of the publications is not particularly compelling and their commentary is sparse. Still, it is a convenience to have them glued together into one book, and perhaps for some people that will be worth the cost of the book. For that reason, I gave the book 3 stars instead of 2.

What is lacking is meaningful discussion by the editors of the complicated issues that come up when dealing with everything from eye witness accounts, to what may be accepted as scientific "proof", to aiding the recovery of a large feline predator. A little more effort and "meat" from the editors could have made this an outstanding book. They do touch upon these some of these issues but not in sufficient depth. Perhaps they minimized their own input as an attempt to present the material in an unbiased fashion. However, we can hardly assume letters and newspaper articles to be, as a rule, unbiased.

One example of something that could have been discussed relates to Dr. Melanie Culver's DNA studies, which suggest that all North American cougars belong to the same subspecies. It appears that this has not been accepted by the authorities, who evidently continue to rely on past morphologic studies which suggest that there are 32 distinct subspecies of cougar in North America. Why is it that Culver's findings have not been embraced? Is it due to fear of the social and political issues that would flare up in consequence to recognizing the eastern cougar as the same subspecies as the Florida panther, (which would imply that the former should enjoy protection under the endangered species act, as does the latter)? Or, are there valid scientific reasons to doubt the DNA studies and give more weight to morphologic studies? Or, thirdly, is it standard practice for the scientific community to wait for an independent investigator to reproduce one scientist's results before they are taken as fact? It seems to me that a discussion of this critical issue would have been entirely appropriate.

In my view, the best part of the book is, by far, Dr. David Maehr's nine page essay, entitiled Can the Florida Panther Provide Insight Into Restoring the Eastern Cougar? This is a very balanced piece which seems both skeptical and hopeful at the same time. Dr. Maehr briefly discusses some of the more complex issues and helps put the whole subject into perpective, and this partially makes up for what the editors neglect to do.

In summary, I think a review of the publications with thought provoking discussion would have been far more effective than a collection of full length publications assembled by editors who provide little input of their own. The old newspaper articles, letters, etc. by themselves just don't pull together to do the suject matter justice.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, New Evidence, January 11, 2006

By 

Barbara J. Chaplin (Winchester, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, New Evidence (Paperback)

Read & Reviewed By: Barbara Chaplin, Executive Director, Cougar Quest - Virginia, www.btcent.com/CougarQuest.htm

The Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, New Evidence (edited by Chris Bogiano and Jerry Roberts, published by Stackpole Books, 2005) provides an astonishing array of historic accounts and scientific evidence, carefully compiled and objectively edited by the authors, to provide a strong probability that cougars survive in small breeding pockets in the east. Cougars (also known as mountain lion, puma, panther, painter, and catamount among other laymen names and `Puma (=Felis) concolour couguar' or `Puma concolor cougar' among scientists) are large, elusive, powerful feline predators supposedly extirpated from eastern United States and Canada prior to 1900. But, cougar reports and evidence continue to surface.

The reader does not need an advanced degree in biology, zoology, or any other scientific study to understand, appreciate, and learn from this book. Even the most intimidating article title, "Genetic Variation, Gene Flow, and Population Identification for North American Pumas" by the premier cougar DNA research expert Melanie Culver, has been written in terms laymen can understand; Ms. Culver is able to explain genetics like Carl Sagan explained the universe. Maps (refer specifically to the map of "Confirmed Cougar Evidence ..." facing chapter 2, "Reappearance: Where's The Evidence?") and photographs assist the reader in visualizing the animal and where scientifically confirmed field evidence suggests it may be living in the wild. Reproduced in chapter 3, "Outlook: Can They Come Back?", is the U.S. Department of the Interior's official position on eastern cougars. In a response to a request that the "Similarity of Appearance" provision of the Endangered Species Act, which protects all cougars in Florida panther territory, be applied to all cougars in the east, a Director stated: "... the Service's position remains that the eastern cougar is extirpated." and "Use of the Similarity of Appearance provision ... in the remaining eastern States is [not] justified at this time."

I highly recommend The Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, New Evidence - it is a treasure to be read, re-read, and referred to.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE EASTERN COUGAR, February 13, 2007

By 

EDWARD J. GILSON Jr. (PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, New Evidence (Paperback)

I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THIS BOOK AND THE LEVEL OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION INVOLVED IN THE SEARCH FOR THESE ANIMALS. I LIVE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND I ENGAGE IN A LOT OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN CLINTON, CENTRE AND LYCOMING COUNTIES. ALL OF THESE COUNTIES HAVE HAD SIGHTINGS AND I HAVE ACTUALLY MET PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN COUGARS. I WAS VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT THE STANDARDS OF PROOF WERE VERY HIGH FOR CONFIRMATIONS LISTED IN THIS BOOK. I WAS ALSO GLAD TO SEE THAT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE CREDENCE GIVEN TO "BLACK" PANTHER SIGHTINGS. THIS IN MY MIND IS A BOGUS ISSUE AND IF TRUE CERTAINLY POINTS TO AN EXOTIC ANIMAL. WELL DONE.