SUN JOURNAL • October 3, 2020
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says,. “There are no known cougar populations in Maine at this time.” What is meant exactly by the term “no known cougar populations”? Is it meant to be absolute, or is it a qualified hedge meant to leave an opening? We must assume, based on these biologists’ grudging admission that “there may be dispersing cougars from bordering states or provinces just passing through,” that there is no cougar reproduction taking place in Maine. Of 30 personal sighting accounts, only one reported seeing a large cat and an apparent yearling cougar. The passing of time may help us resolve the inconsistencies surrounding this elusive wild cat. ~ V. Paul Reynolds