Some insightful and thoughtful feedback off of yesterdays U.S.F.W proclamation calling for the Puma(They label it the Eastern Puma) to be Federally Delisted off of the Endangered List-a 60 day public commentary period has now begun prior to the Service issuing it's final decree on this issue...............The clear and non political thought process of Biologist John Laundre resonates loudly with me: John writes: "I have always argued that it is not the Florida panther that is endangered but panthers (regardless of their genetic background) in Florida are endangered"..................... "This also holds for the "eastern cougar" or cougars in the east"................... "In fact, if we recognize that the panthers in Florida are genetically similar to all of north american cougars, then we can argue that cougars still exist in the East and are highly endangered with only a remnant population found at the very southern tip of its historic range"................. "In fact rather than calling them Florida panthers, they probably should be called Easter cougars!"................ "So cougars in the east are not extinct and a regional (all of the East) recovery plan should follow"............ "It is time Florida gives up on thinking it has a unique subspecies to embracing the fact it has the ONLY remaining population of cougars, panthers, mountain lions in the East"............ "To me that increases the uniqueness of that population beyond the boundaries of the state"

John Laundre	Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 8:12 AM
Wrote this earlier but don't think it got sent so will  try again.  I have always argued that it is not the Florida panther that is endangered but panthers (regardless of their genetic background) in  Florida are endangered.  This  also holds for the "eastern cougar" or cougars in the east.  In fact, if we recognize that the panthers in Florida are genetically  similar to all of north  american cougars, then we can argue that cougars  still exist in the East and are highly endangered with only a remnant  population found at the very  southern tip of its historic range.  In fact rather  than calling them Florida  panthers, they probably should be called Easter  cougars!  So cougars in the east are not extinct and a regional (all of the East) recovery plan should follow.  It is time Florida gives up on thinking it has a unique subspecies to embracing the fact it has the ONLY remaining  population of cougars, panthers, mountain lions in the East.  To me that  increases the uniqueness  of that population beyond the boundaries of the state. Just my thoughts John Laundre-Puma(wildlife).Biologist ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think it is misleading to delist the "eastern puma" when it has been shown to be part of a single NorthAmerican puma phylogeographic group/operational taxonomic unit/subspecies as per the genetics study of Culver et al. Journal of Heredity 2000.  Instead we should be working to restore puma habitat just as we are for the jaguar in the southwestern United States. There is plenty of evidence for recolonization of former suitable habitat by highly vagile species like the puma, e.g. gray wolf. Then I uploaded the Culver paper. Best Rick Lanman-Wikipedia Contributor on the Puma---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Carmel Severson" (Nothing appears to be entirely accurate with respect to  panthers- Chris Spatz) Except the panthers themselves - which when all is said ;  done is what's  important.Believe me there is nothing more accurate than the cat itselfwhen it's standing less than 30 feet in front of you.  Long Lean & roman nosed. A cat whose physical form has changed in response to its surroundings. Having been isolated for over a hundred years & by thousands of miles from the next population of puma. A variation in climate & geography produces a variation in form, function dictates form, and though the change may not be obvious there must be on some level a measurable difference. (Subspecies yes?) Even with fresh genes coursing through their being, the same forces are at work, & over time, if allowed to exist, they will begin that same transformation, purely in response to the environment.  Truly it "doesn't" matter what that difference is, or even to what extent it differs, what matters is that these panthers exist in less than 5% of their original range therefore it remains a small and "endangered" population. On many points I agree with and feel similar to John Laundre about them. Carmel- Wildlife Advocate --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just a thought:  If y'all feel there is  any usefulness in contacting Dr. Melanie Culver, who  did the research that collapsed the tradition cougar  taxonomy (a couple of decades ago now), she is at the Univ  of AZ and at   Bio Sciences East,  Tucson, Arizona-85721 ;  (520) 977-2831 ;  culver@ag.arizona.edu    --cb    Chris Bolgiano, Mildly Amusing Nature Writer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All good thoughts! Do we think the US FWS will be receptive to  that kind of logic in this comment period? They allude to  it by saying that questions of whether cougar subspecies are valid or not are moot with respect to the question of the  extinction of the  eastern cougar. But I agree that the Florida panther is all  that is left of the cougar in the east, and it should be treated  as a DPS in need of recovery in a much broader area. The  northeastern DPS  is  unfilled but according to what we know  about the genetics,  should be filled with little reservations with cougars from  the west or from Florida (I tend to think  cats from the  northern  latitudes would do better in New England  than some poor  panther fresh up from the Miami tropics). And so it all comes back to the question of  whether the US FWS should be in the business of restoring wildlife to their historic range, regardless of the  security of a given  species in other places. They seem to  want the answer to  be no. Ron Ron Sutherland, Ph.D. Conservation Scientist Wildlands Network  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Helen McGinnis Date: June 17, 2015 Many, many news articles have been written about this in the past month. ****************************** http://www.wptv.com/news/state/is-the-florida-panther-up-next-for-extinction Florida Panthers headed off endangered list? Jay Cashmere 9:53 PM, Jun 16, 2015 11:33 PM, Jun 16, 2015 The Florida panther. A highly regarded animal in this state with a license plate, a hockey team named after them and a big change that may come soon for the big cats. Their days on the endangered species list could be numbered. FWC is set to talk about their removal from it at their next board meeting which is certain to draw lots of reaction from both sides. They're an elusive species roaming the state and unless you catch a glimpse of ones in captivity like those at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, chances are you haven't seen one. "He knows it's time to eat, he wants to go in there," says wildlife expert David Hitzig. His career working with wildlife has spanned 30 years and even he has yet to see a wild one. However, that could change. "Back in the early 80's they could only document 20 panthers, now they can document close to 100 panthers. You plug that into a formula and they believe there might be 150 that exist within the state now," says Hitzig. Their population has risen so much over the last several years, FWC may consider taking them off the endangerded species list. It's a move decades in the making and comes down to science Hitzig says. They have researched, followed and studied their needs over the years and experts feel confident this is a step in the right direction. "Wildlife is protected regardless, just because an animal comes off the endangered species list doesn't mean a back has been turned to them so that they will always be protected in some fashion," says Hitzig. Their population covers a roaming range of 200 square miles predominately in remote areas of southwest Florida and there's one little known fact that makes this decision a critical one. "What makes the Florida panther so special is east of the Mississippi River, Florida is the only place that a population of these animals." Further proof that keeping tabs on this symbolic state animal whether endangered or threatened will always be a top priority. FWC's governing board will meet to discuss moving the panther from the endangered list June 23 in Sarasota.