The cougar goes by many names: mountain lion, puma, panther, catamount and others. These different names have led to a lot of confusion, so just to clarify; these are all the same creature.
The cougar once inhabited most of North and South America but by the 1900’s had been largely exterminated from most lands east of the Mississippi River. Yet reports of cougars in states from Nebraska to East Texas and all across the Eastern half of the U.S. have been steadily flowing in.
There is currently a big debate concerning the status of the cougar in the east! Until recently, the existence of cougars in the east has been met by total disbelief from those in the government and most people who have never seen one. But that is changing!
The proof of cougars reclaiming old stomping grounds is slowly being acknowledged by biologists and laypeople alike. All up and down the western side of the Mississippi River, cougar sightings have been confirmed. Now some cougars are even showing up East of the Mississippi.
I assume you are scouring the internet looking for tangible proof that cougars are present in the eastern half of North America. Well look no further!
Below, I have posted a number of photographs of a cougar captured on an old film (not digital) trail cam in Louisiana! This will be the first photographic evidence of a cougar in the State of Louisiana in decades.
Hum De Dum
I wonder what he is running from!
Cougar chases down the possum and returns with his supper.
Cat passes by after supper.
The Opossum above was captured by the trail cam. The bear below was captured on the same trail cam pointed further to the right. The patterns of the grass clumps in the cougar picture below and the bear picture below match up. Notice that the clumps of grass on the right side of the big cougar picture below and the grass clumps shown in the center of the bear photo below match up.
For those who don’t believe the picture comes from Louisiana, these other animals at the same location help narrow down where the picture was taken. The opossum and bear ranges only overlap in a few places. One is in Louisiana!
