A study revealing strong public support in seven East Coast states could be the first step in reintroducing pumas into lost habitat the Eastern United States.
A team of scientists surveyed 2,756 respondents in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia to evaluate their thoughts about restoring this large cat species, also known as cougars and mountain lions. Pumas are among the two largest cat species in North America.
The survey was backed by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Eastern Ecological Science Center. It announced the findings as both “surprising and encouraging. The number of residents expressing strong support outnumbered those with strong opposition by 4:1 to 13:1, with support outweighing opposition in every state. Contrary to common assumptions, hunters, rural residents, and politically conservative individuals showed significant support for puma reintroduction.”
This broad public support for pumas could spur state wildlife agencies to explore the idea of restoring pumas in states along the East Coast where the animals were driven out decades ago by settlers, ranchers, farmers and government officials.
Tribes could also be interested in reintroducing pumas to their tribal lands.
“There is habitat, there is prey, and there is general public support. Now it’s a question of politics, and whether one or more champions among those that lead state wildlife agencies or even among governors and other legislators who will step forward and push a reintroduction effort through the necessary channels to see it permitted and supported by decision-makers and wildlife managers,” explained Mark Elbroch, director of the Puma Program at New York City based Panthera.
He is the lead author of “Public Support for Puma Reintroduction in the Eastern United States,” that was published in July. The survey sought to assess the public pulse of restoring pumas in Eastern states except for Florida (which has its own panther population).
Elbroch noted that although people were mainly backed the idea of returning pumas to former habitats in each of the seven states, those who lived in the northeastern-most states were the most supportive. For instance, people in Maine had stronger positive views than residents in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and West Virginia.
“Social tolerance is essential to any successful carnivore reintroduction program, because small carnivore populations are so susceptible to declines under human pressure,” Elbroch said. “Pumas are habitat generalists and so we have great flexibility in where they might thrive. However, our research to date suggests that a greater majority of people may be more willing to live with pumas in the northeastern U.S. rather than the eastern-central states.”
He also pointed out that many respondents also identified their views as neutral, which was expected since the notion of puma reintroduction isn’t commonly discussed.
“Certainly pumas are among those highly interactive species with the potential to positively influence biodiversity and ecosystem health, but these effects will be subtle and take a long time before they are apparent,” Elbroch said, adding that more immediate benefits are in “righting past wrongs” and fulfilling our as conservation stewards.
If pumas were to be repopulated along the East Coast, these animals would likely be taken from the Western part of the country.
“This is a decision that will be made while designing a reintroduction effort, and we aren’t there yet. Suffice it to say, there are a number of populations to draw from in the West. Importantly, genetic research over the last 30 years has revealed that historic pumas in the East are the very same subspecies as those currently inhabiting the West—thus any reintroduction effort will truly be returning a once native species to its historic range,” Elbroch said.
When asked about how many pumas it would take to start a new population in a state, he estimated a state or tribal government would need 50 animals initially followed by another 50.
Government Efforts Critical in Wildlife Restoration
Both federal and state government support have been critical in restoring missing wildlife in their native habitats. Among recent efforts are the restoration of gray wolves in Western states.
“Over the past 125 years, the United States has reintroduced and relocated more than 1,000 species. The wild turkey, Palos Verdes blue butterfly, river otter, and fisher are just a few examples of successful programs,” the Eastern Ecological Science Center stated.
The widespread public support for returning pumas to their former habitats is likely to lead to stronger efforts to repopulate them in areas one or more of the states surveyed.
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