Whilst the focus of the CFZ Mystery Cat study group is predominantly the search for proof of the British big cats, it would be unrealistic to forget that this is only part of a global mystery cat phenomenon.
Here are a selection of mystery cat stories from North America where pumas are rapidly recolonising their old haunts in the midwest:
Mountain lions recolonize the Midwest
Lincoln Journal Star
The mountain lion, or cougar, population declined dramatically after 1900 due to hunting and lack of prey, leaving the remaining big cats isolated to the ...
Cougars: Wild cat again spreading across Midwest, study finds
Indianapolis Star
Cougars: Wild cat again spreading across Midwest, study finds ... significant because no government agency tracks the number of large cats across the country.
Cougars move to reclaim the Midwest
Minneapolis Star Tribune
The big cats, long a rare sight in Minnesota, are moving in rising numbers from the Rockies and the Black Hills into the Midwestern states where they were once ...
Study: Cougars again spreading across Midwest
KAALtv.com
... no government agency tracks the number of large cats across the country. ... where populations of the big, long-tailed cats have been so abundant that the ...
Cougars mount comeback across Midwest
Pioneer Press
LaRue is skeptical that the large cat can establish a breeding population anytime soon, even in Minnesota's northern forests, where the predators would do well ...
Mountain lion killed in Santa Monica is linked to big cats that live...
Los Angeles Daily News
A mountain lion that was shot to death by Santa Monica police after it wandered into a courtyard near the Third Street Promenade was not an exotic pet but was ...
Neb. No. 1 in mountain lion sightingsOmaha World-HeraldThe big cats are re-populating their historical range, according to a new study. ... The survey of Midwestern big cats excluded the largest population base of the ...
Cougars returning to the Midwest where they were once common
ScrippsNews
The big cats are moving in rising numbers from the Rockies and the Black Hills into the Midwestern states where they were once common, according to wildlife ...
US scientists celebrate return of the cougar to the American midwest
The Guardian
The population of big cats, also known as American mountain lions, has rocketed in these states, from less than a hundred in 1990 to about 30000 today.
Cougars Are Taking Back AmericaJezebelBut did you know that cougars of the big cat variety very nearly went extinct during the last century? Well, they did, but today researchers reported that they've ...
Mountain lions make a comeback in US
The Independent
Mountain lions, or cougars, are making a big comeback in the US after a century of decline, say conservationists. The big cats are moving far outside their ...
Cougars Are Returning to the US Midwest after More Than 100 Years
Scientific American (blog)
But people living in the Midwest may soon have a new name for these big cats: neighbor. Cougars (Puma concolor) have not lived in Oklahoma, Missouri and ...
Cougars coming back into region
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
Among the recent sightings was a big cat seen in northern Lincoln County during the summer of 2010. About six different cougars, all males, are confirmed to ...
Local wildlife spottings on the rise
Vernon Morning Star
A Vernon family was startled by the large wild cat during a walk through ... children with you hold them and make yourself look as big as possible,” said Wilson.
DNA Results on Santa Monica Mountain Lion Link it to Local - Patch
The mountain lion that wandered into the Third Street Promenade and was subsequently shot and killed has been linked to the big cats that roam the Santa Monica Mountains.
Santa Monica Police Killed Offspring of Rare PumaLAist... lion shot and killed by Santa Monica police conclude that the animal was linked to a population of big cats generally found north of the Ventura (101) Freeway.
Study confirms MOUNTAIN LIONS are making a comeback ~ WEST ...
By Jerry Genesio
Nielsen said the findings also raise new questions about how humans might live in closer proximity to the big cats. Cougars were driven from much of the Midwest by around 1900, and their absence left a hole in the ecosystem, Nielsen said.
Was it a cougar? Rock Spring walker claims big cat sightingAlton TelegraphALTON - Retiree Ron Young usually only sees birds and deer on his regular walks through Rock Spring Park, but Friday morning he was alarmed to see what ...
FORD OUTDOORS:
Seems everybody's seeing mountain lions ...Evansville Courier & PressLet me put it this way: something's out there and it might just be a big cat because the response was nothing short of amazing. In a business where a combined ...
Pair get rare sighting of bobcat swimming in Cape Romain
Charleston Post Courier
A big cat. The two men out for a nature tour had the rare luck to spot a bobcat swimming in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Nobody knows how many ...
Cougars spread east out of Hills
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Mountain lions from the Black Hills are helping the big cats recolonize what was their traditional habitat in the Midwest before white settlers pushed them out.
